*     OCT   3  1907     * 


MluBtraUb 


W  \J 


i9nG 


E^t  ^Unhnxh  J^ublisljmg  Olampan^ 
(Etttrttutatt,  ®l|ut 


(Copyrtglit.  19flB 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

CHAPTER    I. 
Che'n  Ta  Yung,  Gatekeeper,  Preacher,  Martyr 1 

CHAPTER    n. 
Chai  Gee,  a  Burning  and  a  Shining  Light 25 

CHAPTER    HI. 
Pastor   Wong-Yuk-Cho,   an   Honored    Prophet 32 

CHAPTER    IV. 
Rev.  Y.   K.   Yen,   M.    A 47 

CHAPTER    V. 
Pang  Lan  Seng,  the  Apostle  to  Hunan 61 

CHAPTER    VI. 
Evangelist    Shee,    the    Converted    Story-teller 76 

CHAPTER    VII. 
Rev.    Y.    T.    Zia,    a   Noble    Pioneer 89 

CHAPTER    VII  I. 
Pastor    Chang,    of    Tungcho 103 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Pastor    Meng,    of   Paotingfu 116 

CHAPTER    X. 
Wong  Ping  San,  Poet,  Musician,   Saint 130 

CHAPTER    XI. 
Deacon  Wong,  of   Shanghai 140 

CHAPTER    XII. 
Helper  Li,  of  Tung-Chou,  One  of  the  Martyrs 14S 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
Rev.    Kwan    Loy    (Autobiographical ) 15G 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
Old    Wang,    Founder    of    Protestantism    in    Manchuria 165 


CHAPTER    XV. 
Blind    Chang,    of    Manchuria 174 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
A   Zealous  Evangelist,   Elder   Wang 181 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
Wang,  of  Wei ISO 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
Mrs.    Ma    197 

CHAPTER     XIX. 
Chan  Sui  Cheung,   a  Fisher   of   Men 205 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Lay  Zung  Sing,  a  Godly  Merchant 216 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
Pastor    Ling,    of    Foochow 223 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

The   Rev.    Chau,    Wesleyan    Methodist    Mission    (British), 

Canton  .  .  .   234 


DEDICATION. 


To  those  noble  men  and  women- 
educators  and  others — whose  Christian  lives  and 
labors  have  made  the  writing  of  such  a  book  possi- 
ble, this  volume  is  respectfully  and  affectionately 
dedicated. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 


It  is  a  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the  hearty  co- 
operation of  friends  in  the  preparation  of  the  pres- 
ent volume.  Three  or  four  chapters  are  published 
as  received.  In  other  instances,  only  a  slight 
ajnount  of  editing  was  necessary.  Besides  those 
whose  names  are  appended  to  their  articles,  the  fol- 
lowing supplied  material  for  one  or  more  sketches : 
Dr.  E.  H.  Graves,  Dr.  H.  Corbett,  Dr.  J.  Macgowan, 
Dr.  J.  Ross,  Dr.  R.  T.  Bryan,  Dr.  H.  V.  Noyes, 
Rev.  J.  H.  Meadows,  Miss  Helen  Davies,  Miss  J.  G. 
Evans,  Rev.  J.  E.  Shoemaker,  Rev.  W.  R.  Hunt  and 
Dr.  Ashmore.  Assistance  was  also  rendered  by 
Dr.  A.  P.  Parker,  Rev.  W.  N.  Bitton,  Rev.  T.  Rich- 
ard, Rev.  J.  Stevenson,  Dr.  Griffith  John,  Dr.  Chris- 
tie and  others. 

W.  P.  B. 


PREFACE. 


The  China  of  to-day  is  ignorant  of  her  chief  glory 
— the  strong  and  beautiful  Christian  characters  of 
some  of  her  children. 

To  make  their  acquaintance  has  been  to  us  a 
source  of  delight  and  inspiration. 

We  thought  the  world  ought  to  know  of  these — 
some  of  the  choicest  spirits  of  Christian  annals; 
while  the  church  will  rejoice  in  the  renewed  evi- 
dence of  the  growing  strength  of  Christianity,  and 
the  saving  power  of  divine  truth. 

W,  P.  B. 


A  RURAL  SCENE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Ch'en  Ta-Yung, 
gatekeeper,  preacher,  martyr. 


"Six  packages  of  incense/' 

"Two  cakes  of  soap," 

"One  block  of  soda/'  said  little  Ch'en,  reading 
off  the  sales  of  a  recent  purchase  to  the  head  book- 
keeper of  the  store  in  which  he  was  employed. 

"Anything  else?"  inquired  the  bookkeeper. 

"Nothing/'  answered  Ch'en,  his  attention  fixed 
upon  a  group  of  people  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  and  then  added: 

"The  devil's  coming." 

This  last  remark  was  caused  by  a  missionary 
bookseller  emerging  from  the  crowd  and  walking 
toward  the  store. 

Young  Ch'en  was  a  country  lad,  born  a  few  li 
outside  the  southeast  gate  of  Peking.  Like  most 
Chinese  boys,  he  had  been  taught  to  read  some  of 
the  Chinese  primers,  and  then  employed  in  this 
incense  store  on  Hua'rh  Shih,  that  his  scant  wages 
might  help  to  swell  the  small  income  of  the  family, 
and  thus  enable  them  to  "pass  the  days/'  which 
is  about  all  an  ordinary  Chinese  family  expects 

Ch'en  was  a  short,  plump,  round-faced,  good- 


2  Illustuious  Chinese  Ciiuistians. 

natured,  honest  boy  who  enjoyed  a  i>oo(l  conscience 
and — two  meals  a  day.  He  was  fond  of  a  joke, 
but  fond  also  of  his  books,  and  there  was  an  uncer- 
tain twinkle  in  his  eyes  as  he  watched  the  approach 
of  the  missionary,  though  not  a  twinkle  of  mis- 
chief.    The  man  had  books. 

"Have  you  seen  any  of  these  books?"  asked  the 
newcomer  as  he  entered  the  store. 

"No,  what  are  they?" 

"I  have  various  kinds.  Here  is  the  ^Entrance 
to  Virtue  and  Knowledge';  ^Glad  Tidings,'  and 
^Evidences  of  Christianity',"  said  he  as  he  spread 
out  a  variety  of  books  and  pamphlets  upon  the 
counter. 

Both  salesman  and  proprietor  were  interested 
in  the  books  as  well  as  the  man,  and  began  plying 
him  with  questions  about  himself,  his  books  and 
his  teachings,  which  was,  of  course,  the  object 
he  sought. 

Young  Ch'en  bought  a  iiook. 

II. 

A  few  days  later,  Ch'en  was  present  at  the 
Sunday  services  of  the  London  Mission. 

In  a  conversation  with  the  missionary  he  said  he 
had  read  the  book,  which,  by  a  series  of  cross- 
questioning,  appeared  very  evident.  He  had  not 
only  read,  but  made  himself  master  of  its  contents. 

'^I  am  deeply  interested  in  this  doctrine,"  he 
said.  .  . 


iLLrsTuior's  rrirxESE  rmusTrANS.  3 

'^Indeed,"  said  the  missionary,  "I  am  glad  to 
hear  it." 

'^I  should  like  lo  .i»(^<  some  more  books,"  Ch'en 
continued;  on  which  tlie  uiissionarT  selected  for 
him  such  books  as  would  gixe  him  an  intelligent 
idea  of  the  elementary  principles  of  Christianity. 
These  he  took  with  him,  and  for  some  months  he 
was  a  regiilar  attendant  at  the  Sunday  services. 

His  interest  in  this  new  doctrine  had  not  affect- 
ed all  his  friends  as  it  had  the  missionar^^  The 
inmates  of  two  homes  and  a  business  house  re- 
garded the  matter  very  differently.  They  could 
say  nothing  in  opposition  to  his  reading  the  books, 
for  he  gave  no  occasion  for  offense  by  liis  conduct, 
nevertheless  his  parents  and  the  parents  of  the 
girl  to  whom  he  was  betrothed — members  of  the  Li 
family — were  not  well  pleased  that  their  son  and 
prospective  son-in-law  should  exhibit  such  a  fond- 
ness for  the  teachings  of  the  foreign  devil. 

This,  however,  did  not  affect  Ch'en.  He  was  not 
easily  influenced.  When  his  mind  was  made  up, 
it  wa®  not  easily  unmade.  He  continued  to  study, 
continued  to  go  to' church,  asked  to  join  on  proba- 
tion, and  when  this  period  was  ended,  young  Ch'en 
was  baptized. 

III. 

Each  step  taken  by  the  young  man  increased  the 
opposition  in  his  own  family.  His  mother  was  es- 
pecially bitter  against  him,  and  yet  she  dare  not 
express  it  too  openly,   for  she  did   not  want  to 


4  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

break  with  her  son.  She  proposed  to  conisummate 
his  marriage,  thinking  that  by  giving  him  some- 
thing different  to  think  about,  she  would  wean  him 
from  this  strange  doctrine.  To  this  he  was  not 
loth,  and  especially  as,  only  a  short  time  previous- 
ly, a  foreigner,  in  consideration  of  certain  services 
Ch'en  had  rendered  him,  had  presented  him  with 
one  hundred  taels  of  silver,  because  of  which  he 
gave  up  his  position  in  the  store  and  entered  the 
London  Mission  school. 

When  the  matter  of  his  marriage  was  fully  set- 
tled, Ch'en  announced  his  determination  to  be 
married  according  to  the  Christian  ceremony. 

A  storm  arose  in  his  home.  His  mother  was 
furious.  Ch'en  was  filial  but  firm,  and  when  the 
storm  had  spent  its  force,  it  left  a  young  couple 
very  happy,  but  without  a  home,  for  young  Ch'en 
was  married  according  to  the  Christian  ceremony. 

IV. 

But  married  life  and  school  life  could  not  be 
pursued  together  without  a  bank  account,  and  as 
Ch'en  was  not  at  liberty  to  put  away  his  wife — and 
be  it  understood  he  did  not  wish  to  do  so — he  found 
it  necessary  to  forego  further  study  in  school. 

It  so  happened  that  the  Methodist  Mission,  which 
was  then  being  established  in  the  city,  was  in  need 
of  a  servant,  and,  on  inquiry  of  some  friends  of 
young  Ch'en,  they  were  told  that  they  were  wel- 
come to  him  if  they  could  get  him  to  do  anything, 


IlLUSTRIOI'S  rillXESE  CHRISTIANS.  5 

which  was  more  than  they  of  the  London  Mission 
were  able  to  accomplish.  Not  that  he  was  lazy — 
Ch'en  was  never  lazy — but  he  had  a  constitutional 
indisposition  to  leave  his  books.  He  was  willing 
to  do  anything  if  only  that  thing  was  studying 
books,  and  either  because  the  newcomers  were  in 
desperate  straits,  or  because  they  approved  of  such 
a  disposition  in  a  young  man,  they  concluded  to 
try  him. 

They  first  took  him  as  a  house  servant,  but  in 
this  capacity  Ch'en  was  a  failure.  He  could  eat 
food,  but  he  could  not  cook  it,  and  the  office  of 
"boy"  was  too  much  like  woman's  work — ^^never 
done."  He  had  so  approved  himself  to  them,  how- 
ever, that  they  concluded  to  try  him  in  another 
and  more  responsible  position,  and  so  young  Ch'en 
was  installed  as  gatekeeper. 


V. 

This  was  la  jwsition  exactly  suited  to  the  man 
and  the  man  to  the  position — ^at  least,  for  the  time. 
Here  was  an  important  office  connected  with  which 
there  was  no  duty,  except  to  see  that  there  was  "no 
admittance  except  on  business,"  which  Ch'en  was 
careful  to  attend  to.  He  had  ample  opportunity  to 
converse  with  all  classes,  educated  and  uneducated, 
on  the  subject  which  lay  nearest  his  heart,  which 
subject  was  the  gospel,  for  no  office  furnishes  a 
better  opportunity  for  preaching  than  an  Oriental 
gatehouse.     Ch'en   magnified   his   office,   and   fur- 


6  iLLI'STKlOrS  ClIlXKSE   CHRISTIANS. 

nislied  evidence  that  only  the  mo^it  faithful  char- 
acter should  occupy  the  gatcOiouse  of  the  foreign 
missionary. 

A  new  idea  began  to  take  form  in  the  mind  of 
Clfen  that  his  position  in  life  was  not  to  be 
gatekeeper  in  the  mission  compound,  but  ''gate- 
keeper in  the  house  of  the  Lord" — and  he  attacked 
his  books  with  renewed  vigor.  He  determined  that 
sometime  he  Avould  be  a  preacher  of  the  gospel. 

There  were  obstacles,  however,  in  the  way.  The 
first  and  greatest  of  these  was  that  his  wife  could 
not  read,  and  while  she  was  a  helpmeet  to  him  in 
his  home,  unless  she  learned  to  read,  she  Avould  be 
a  hindrance  to  him  as  a  preacher.  How  was  this 
difficulty  to  be  overcome?  He  brought  the  matter 
to  his  wife's  attention  in  the  hope  that  she  would 
suggest  that  she  could  learn  to  read.  This  solution 
she,  however,  studiously  avoided,  and  after  broadly 
hinting  the  possibility  of  such  a  method,  but  to  no 
purpose,  he  suggested : 

^'Perhaps  you  could  learn  to  read.'' 

No,  Mrs.  Ch'en  could  not  learn  to  read.  She 
had  too  many  family  cares,  too  many  duties,  too 
much  work,  she  was  too  old,  it  would  not  be  of  any 
use  to  her,  she  did  not  want  to  read. 

Now^,  Ch'en  was  too  wise  a  man  to  pursue  an 
idea  to  a  final  conclusion  without  giving  time  for 
reflection,  and  es])(H'ially  with  his  wife.  There  was 
no  hurry;  time  wasi  not  an  important  element  in 
life.    He  ahvays  put  his  ideas  to  soak. 

The  matter  came  up  again,  and  Mr.  Ch'en  urged 


PASTOR  CHENS  THIRD  SON,  CH'EN  WEI-PING,  WIFE  AND  CHILDREN. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  9 

that  at  least  she  study  the  catechism.  Mrs.  Ch'en 
was  not  inclined  to  do  so.  She  saw,  however,  that 
her  husband  was  intent  upon  it,  and  a  look  of  un- 
certainty appeared  upon  her  face.  But  while  she 
thought  about  the  matter,  she  determined  not  to 
submit  without  a  struggle. 

Once  more  the  matter  came  up.  Mr.  Ch'en  was 
the  descendant  of  a  people  Avho  have  believed  for 
forty  centuries  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  wife  to 
obey  her  husband.  Indeed,  at  that  time,  the  church 
he  had  left  and  the  church  he  had  entered,  alike 
compelled  their  women  to  promise  at  the  marriage 
altar  to  obey  their  husbands;  but  Mr.  Ch'en  pre- 
ferred to  rule  by  moral  suasion  rather  than  by 
command  or  by  force.  Nevertheless,  as  he  had  tried 
hinting,  suggesting  and  urging,  he  mildly  ordered 
her  to  study  the  catechism.  His  order  was  too  mild. 
Mrs.  Ch'en  did  not  do  so.  He  added  vigor  to  his 
command,  but  still  without  result,  and  when  all 
the  methods  had  failed,  Mr.  Ch'en  took  his  wife 
out  into  a  vacant  garden  where  no  one  could  hear, 
see  or  tell,  and  whipped  her  until  she  promised 
to  study  the  catechism. 

And  the  recording  angel  with  a  tear  blotted  out 
the  record  made  against  Mr.  Ch'en  for  his  inhuman 
conduct,  because  of  his  ignorance,  his  earnestness, 
and  the  good  results  which  sprang  therefrom,  for 
Ch'en  was  doing  his  best  to  become  a  preacher. 

VI. 

When  he  was  installed  as  gatekeeper,  he  did  not 


10  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

cease  to  be  a  student.  He  studied  divinity  in  the 
gatehouse,  which  he  transformed  into  a  theological 
school  as  well  ,a-s  a  "gospel  hall."  He  preached 
in  the  street  chapel,  in  the  school,  in  the  home, 
everywhere,  as  the  follow-ng  quotations  from  the 
mission  history  testify: 

"Thus  far,  only  one  has  made  a  profession  of 
Christianity  in  the  North  China  Mission.  His 
name  is  Ch'en  Cheng  ]Mei,  and  he  is  the  father  of 
our  gatekeeper,  an  old  man  nearly  sixty  years  of 
age,  formerly  by  occupation  a  shoemaker." 

Turning  over  two  leaves  in  the  history,  we  read 
again,  that 

"The  rite  of  baptism  was  administered  to  Wen 
Hui  and  Yang  Su,  whose  probations  have  been 
satisfactorily  passed.  They  stood  at  the  altar,  rep- 
resentatives of  Avidely  different  classes,  the  former 
a  literary  graduate  of  the  second  degree,  a  Manchu 
Tartar,  and  belonging  to  the  Imperial  army;  the 
la'tter  a  type  of  the  laboring  class.*  The  former 
received  his  religious  impressions  while  employed 
as  teacher  of  the  boys'  school,  while  the  latter  was 
our  only  trophy  of  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to  pur- 
chase the  temple  in  the  Southern  City.  We  failed 
to  get  the  place,  but  we  trust  a  soul  was  secured 
for  heaven.  The  chief  credit  of  bringing  forward 
these  two  converts  is  to  be  given  to  Ch'en  Ta-Yung, 
w^hose  studious  habits  and  blameless  life  have  of 
late  given  us  reason  to  hope  that  he  may  yet  find 

♦Although  that  was  thirty  years  ago,  the  latter  is  gatekeeper 
iu  the  compound  in  Peking  since  the  Boxer  trouble. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christlvns.  11 

his  proper  sphere  in  the  field  of  the  ministry. 
Already  his  aged  father  has  taken  his  place  as  gate- 
keeper, and  hiis  time  has  been  more  exclusively 
given  to  study  and  work  as  an  exhorter.'- 

In  this  connection  we  are  still  told  that  ^^in  the 
summer  of  1873,  a  man  named  Wang  Tui-fvi*  having 
the  degree  of  Hsiu  Tsai,  and  belonging  to  the  village 
of  An  Chia  Chuang,  in  Shantung,  distant  from  Pe- 
king 400  miles,  was  in  the  capital  preparing  to  enter 
the  examinations  for  the  degree  of  Chu-Run. 
Meantime  he  happened  into  our  chapel  on  Hai  Ta 
Men  (Great  Street),  was  interested  in  the  word 
preached,  came  again  and  again,  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Cli'en  Ta-Yung,  and  soon  presented  himself 
as  a  candidate  for  probation." 

''In  February,  1874,  it  was  decided  to  send  a 
letter  of  greeting  to  the  little  church  in  Hsiu  An, 
from  their  brethren  in  Peking.  According^  the 
letter  was  written  and  entrusted  to  Ch'en  Ta-Yung, 
noAv  acting  as  native  preacher  with  the  rank  of 
student  helper,  who,  in  the  mission  cart  with  Yang 
Su,  carried  it  thither,  and  remained  a  day  or  two 
preaching  and  exhorting." 

Such  are  the  first  records  about  Ch'en.  In  this 
traveling  from  place  to  place,  it  not  infrequently 
happened  that  scholars  came  to  the  inn  and  tried 
to  enter  into  discussion  with  Ch'en  as  to  the  relative 
virtues  of  Confucianism  and  Christianity.     After 


*  The  story  of  this  family  is  the  most  interesting  of  the  North 
China  Mission  converts. 


12  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

oue  such  discussion  the  missionary  said  to  him, 
^'You  are  not  an  educated  man." 

^^No,"  said  Ch'en,  ''I  am  not." 

^^How  is  it  that  you  do  not  fear  to  enter  into 
discussions  with  these  scholars?" 

"Oh,"  said  Ch'en,  ''I  just  sticli  to  the  Bible,  and 
I  know  more  about  that  than  they  do." 

Ch'en  had  in  reality  become  a  preacher — one  who 
feared  not  the. scholar  nor  despised  the  coolie. 


VII. 


"Ma-Li,  the  girl  who  was  born  on  the  first  day 
of  the  first  month." 

"Poor  child,  poor  child;  ai  3'a!  ai  ya!" 

This  was  the  ejaculation  of  Ch'en's  mother  when 
his  first  baby  was  born. 

It  was  a  girl.  It  was  born  on  the  first  day  of 
the  first  month — New  Year's  Day.  The  old  woman 
was  superstitious.  She  predicted  that  he  would 
have  nothing  but  girls  in  his  family.  He  would 
have  bad  luck  all  his  life.  First  day,  first  month, 
first  child  a  girl.  Ai  ya!  Ai  ya!  Ch'en  was  san- 
guine and  satisfied,  and  called  the  little  girl  Mary, 
or,  as  he  pronounced  it,  Ma-Li. 

The  old  lady  continued  to  sigh,  the  baby  con- 
tinued to  grow,  until  she  was  pronounced  by  all 
who  saw  her,  the  most  beautiful  Chinese  baby  they 
had  ever  seen,  and  Ch'en  continued  to  preach.  It 
aggravated  his  mother  that  he  was  not  disturbed 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  13 

by  this  stroke  of  ill  luck,  and  when  the  next  baby 
came — which  was  a  boy — the  old  woman  only  shook 
her  head,  and  remarked  that  it  would  take  more 
than  one  boy  to  avert  the  calamity  of  having  your 
first  baby  a  girl,  born  on  the  first  day  of  the  first 
month. 

Ch'en,  however,  continued  to  pursue  his  soul- 
saving  work,  read  omnivorously,  prayed  fervently, 
cracked  an  unusual  number  of  jokes,  called  his  boy 
John,  and  waited  for  the  next  baby — which  was  a 
boy. 

Again  the  old  woman  sighed.  Ch'en  called  his 
second  boy  Jacob,  and  as  beautiful  little  Mary  was 
growing  to  be  a  big  girl,  he  began  to  teach  her  to 
read  the  catechism.  As  the  little  girl  repeated  it 
she  sometimes  made  mistakes.  But  her  mother 
sitting  by,  making  a  pinafore,  was  always  able  to 
correct  them  from  memory.  And  the  next  baby 
was  a  boy. 

Now,  when  this  third  boy  came,  the  old  lady 
sighed  much  more  faintly  than  before.  But  it  was 
not  until  the  fifth  child  was  born,  which  was  also 
a  boy — as  were  the  sixth  and  seventh — that  she 
finally  gave  up  her  superstition  that  the  first  baby, 
if  a  girl,  and  born  on  Xew  Year's  Day,  will  bring 
bad  luck  to  a  Christian  home. 

And  little  Mary  grew  up  an  educated  woman, 
married  a  doctor,  and  has  two  little  boys  and  two 
little  girls  as  beautiful  as  herself.  While  Ch'en 
continued  steadfastly  in  his  work  of  soul-saving. 


14  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

VIII. 

"Your  turn  to  remain  at  lionie  to-daj,"  said  Pas- 
tor Cli'en  to  his  tliii'd  son,  Wei-pi'ng,  a  boy  of  nine, 
as  the  family  were  starting  to  church. 

''Very  well/'  said  the  boy. 

''I  «hall  expect  you  to  repeat  this  portion  of 
Matthew  without  a  single  error,  when  we  return," 
he  continued  as  he  locked  the  door  of  the  small 
room,  leaving  the  child  on  the  inside.  As  he  passed 
out  of  the  court  he  locked  the  gate  as  he  had  tfie 
door,  the  children  the  while  calling  to  their  brother 
not  to  get  lonesome. 

This  might  seem  harsh  treatment  for  a  lad  of 
nine,  did  we  not  remember  that  in  China  a  house  is 
never  quite  safe  alone,  land  the  only  way  to  be  cer- 
tain that  the  boy  would  not  run  away  or  burn  the 
house  down,  Avas  to  lock  him  in  and  give  him  some- 
thing Avhich  would  keep  him  employed,  and  what 
better  on  Sunday  than  committing  a  portion  of 
the  Gospel?  * 

Mr.  Ch'en  Avas  not  one  of  those  who  set  himself 
to'  preach  so  much  gospel  and  rest  from  his  labors. 
He  Avas  not  satisfied  Avhen  he  had  preached  to 
Strangers.  His  wife,  children,  parents,  claimed  a 
portion  of  his  time.  When  the  children  were  home 
from  school  during  tlieir  summer  A^acation,  it  was 


*  Tliere  were  characters  in  the  cliapter  with  which  he  was  not 
familiar,  and  his  oldest  brother,  John,  and  Edward  K.  Lowry 
climbed  over  the  wall  and  told  him  what  the  characters  were, 
leaving  before  Mr,  Oh'eil's  return.  This  conduct  was  so  nearly- 
being  mischievous  that  it  lent  interest  to  the  task. 


=  X 

r*  CO 

(T  12; 

35  O 


f  5 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  17 

tbelr  custom  to  have  two  meals  a  day,  the  one  in 
the  morning  at  nine,  ^nd  the  other  in  the  afternoon 
at  four.  After  breakfast  they  were  set  to  studying 
the  Scriptures. 

A  definite  task  was  assigned  them,  for  which,  if 
they  recited  without  a  mistake,  they  received  ten 
large  cash.  For  every  character  they  missed,  one 
cash  was  deducted.  If  they  missed  many  charac- 
ters, they  were  given  extra  time  to  review  without 
loss  of  reward,  and  with  the  money  thus  earned, 
they  were  allowed  to  buy  cakes  for  their  lunch  at 
noon-day.  This  training  produced  good  results. 
When  Number  3  graduated  from  college  and  had  an 
offer  of  forty  dollars  a  month  in  business,  he  re- 
fused it,  and  accepted  a  salary  of  two  and  a  half 
dollars  a  month  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  beyond 
the  Great  Wall. 

WEI-PING   AND   FAMILY. 

When  the  Allies  arrived  in  Peking,  this  same 
young  man  was  employed  as  an  interpreter  on  a 
salary  of  ninety  dollars  a  month.  But  as  soon  as  the 
remains  of  his  scattered  church  could  be  brought 
together  and  a  hall  secured — for  his  church  had 
been  destroyed — he  gave  up  his  position  as  inter- 
preter, and  entered  upon  his  work  as  preacher  on 
a  salary  one-tenth  of  what  he  was  then  receiving. 

Number  4  followed  in  his  footsteps.  He  proved 
to  be  one  of  the  best  English-speaking  students  the 
college  had  ever  graduated.  He  was  offered,  and 
accepted,  a  position  in  the  Imperial  Customs  ser- 


18  ILLUSTUIOUS   CllIxNESE   CilUISTIANS. 

vice,  where  his  salary  was:  1^'irsl  .year,  per  montli, 
115;  second  year,  |20 ;  tliird  year,  125;  with  oppor- 
tunity to  double  this  amount  as  teacher  or  trans- 
lator. 

After  having  passed  the  examinations  and  se- 
cured the  position,  he  regretted  what  he  had  done, 
sent  in  his  rc^signation,,  and  became  a  teacher  in 
the  college,  where  his  salary  was  only  five  dollars 
a  mouth. 

After  a  few  months  the  great  Viceroy,  Li  Hung 
Chang,  asked  him  to  teach  English  to  his  two 
grandsons,  two  hours  a  day,  for  which  he  promised 
him  thirty-five  dollars  per  month.  He  did  so,  but 
not  until  he  had  obtained  permission  from  his  prin- 
cipal, and  when  he  received  the  money,  he  put  it 
in  the  school  fund  for  the  education  of  a  student, 
and  continued  to  work  for  his  former  salary. 

Ch'en  did  not  neglect  the  souls  of  his  children 
in  his  efforts  to  save  the  souls  of  strangers. 

IX. 

"Do  not  worry  as  to  what  you  are  to  do  for  a 
living.  Finish  your  college  course  and  trust  the 
Lord.  The  Lord  will  provide  for  the  man  who  does 
his  duty." 

This  was  Ch'en's  answer  to  his  children  w^hen 
they  indicated  anxiety  as  to  how  they  were  to  make 
a  living.  Mrs.  Ch'en  was  desirous  to  economize, 
and  in  this  she  exhibited  peculiar  ingenuity. 

The  matter  of  heating  a  Chinese  house  with  its 


iLLUsTiiiors  Chixesp:  Ciikistians.  19 

paper  wiudows  and  brick  lloors,  iu  a  latitude  of 
forty  degrees,  on  a  salary  of  five  dollars  a  month, 
and  provide  snflficient  food  for  the  family,  is  one 
which  might  claim  the  attention  of  a  wiser  econo- 
mist than  Mis.  Clren.  On  a  cold  winter's  day  when 
the  foreign  physician  called  at  the  Cli'en  home, 
she  found  the  infant  in  a  sand-bag.  On  inquiring 
the  reason,  Mrs.  Ch'en  explained  that  sand  was 
much  more  easily  kept  clean  than  cloth,  and  that 
when  the  sand  was  once  warmed,  it  would  retain 
the  heat  all  day,  and  thus  there  was  no  difficulty 
in  keeping  the  infant  warm  even  in  cold  Aveather  in 
a  Chinese  house. 

She  advised  all  her  children  to  bring  up  their 
children  in  the  sand-bag.  Mrs.  Ch'en's  method 
will  hardly  commend  itself  to  European  parents, 
but  be  it  said  in  Mrs.  Ch'en's  favor  that  of  her  ten 
children,  none  died  in  infancy,  and  nine  were  liv- 
ing when  the  Boxer  movement  began.  They  are 
without  extravagant  ideas,  are  strong  mentally, 
physically  and  spiritually,  and,  as  we  have  indi- 
cated, Ch'en's  two  sons  who  have  graduated  have 
engaged  in  religious  work  on  salaries  one-tenth 
what  they  could  be  getting  in  business,  while  his 
fifth  son,  now  in  college,  promises  to  be  equally 
self-sacrificing  and  useful. 

X. 

"You  must  leave  here  at  once  and  fiee  to  the 
mountains,"  urged  the  members  of  Ch'en's  church 


20  Illustrious  Chinese  Ohkistians. 

during  the  Boxer  moveiueut,  when  they  heard  of 
the  murder  of  Christians  in  other  places,  and 
learned  of  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  surround- 
ing country. 

'^No/'  answered  Ch'en;  "I  will  not  leave  until 
all  the  members  of  my  flock  are  hidden  away." 

On  June  5,  after  the  close  of  the  conference  held 
in  Peking,  Ch'en  had  taken  his  wife  and  his  young- 
est son  and  daughter,  both  of  Avhom  were  in  school, 
and  started  for  his  appointment  at  Ch'ing  Chou, 
outside  the  Great  Wall. 

On  July  22  the  crisis  came.  The  Christians  had 
repeatedly  urged  him  to  leave.  They  were  familiar 
with  the  surrounding  country,  and  told  him  of  the 
best  places  in  the  mountains  where  he  and  his 
family  could  hide  with  the  greatest  prospect  of 
security,  and  when  they  finally  succeeded  in  per- 
suading him  to  leave,  they  sent  the  chapel-keeper 
to  show  him  the  way.  When  three  miles  from  the 
city,  they  were  met  by  a  man  who  inquired,  ^'Who 
are  you?" 

"I  am  the  i)reacher  in  Yen  Ching  Chou." 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"I  am  going  to  the  mountains." 

The  man  hurried  back  to  the  village  and  in- 
formed the  Boxers  that  a  group  of  Christians  were 
fleeing  to  the  mountains.  'The  Boxer  cliief,  followed 
by  his  rabble,  at  once  pursued,  and  soon  overtook 
them.  After  asking  the  same  questions  the  other 
had,  he  continued: 

"Have  you  any  money?" 


Illustkiotts  Chinese  Christians.  21 

"Yes,"  said  Ch'en,  and  gave  them  what  he  had. 

"Throw  down  your  clothing  and  bedding." 

Ch'en  did  so,  and,  turning  to  the  rabble,  the  chief 
said,  "Now  I  am  through  with  them,  you  may  do  as 
you  like." 

His  little  daughter,  whom  they  called  Apple — 
not  an  ordinary  apple,  but  the  best  variety  known 
ii^  the  north — ran  screaming  to  her  mother's  arms, 
from  which  retreat  she  saw  the  savage  Boxers  and 
the  irresponsible  rabble  kill  and  behead  her  father, 
the  chapel-keeper,  and  her  brother,  a  boy  as  gener- 
ous and  noble  as  any  of  the  three  already  men- 
tioned, the  while  she  in  childish  fear  cried  out, 
"Oh,  mother,  what  shall  we  do!  What  shall  we  do!" 

"We  will  all  go  to  our  heavenly  Father  together," 
vsaid  the  old  woman;  her  faith  never  failing  her  to 
the  last,  and  she  and  her  beautiful  baby  daughter 
of  thirteen  were  hacked  to  pieces,  locked  in  each 
other's  arms,  and — 

Ch'en  entered  the  list  of  martyrs,  a  hero  in  his 
death,  as  he  had  been  in  life. 


XI. 


It  was  some  months  later  when  the  third  son 
visited  the  place  and  gathered  up  the  bones  of  his 
loved  ones,  their  bodies  having  been  burned,  to  give 
them  proper  burial.  The  skulls,  however,  were  no- 
where to  be  found.  Five  months  later,  these  were 
found  by  some  of  the  villagers  and  placed  with  the 
others  in  the  family  burying-ground. 


22  iLLUiSTKIOrS  CllIXKSK   ClIKISTIANS. 

Was  the  joiiiig  iiiairs  lieai-t  lillcil  witli  bitterness 
and  resentment,  as  he  looked  upon  the  remains  of 
those  he  k)ved?     J^et  the  foHowini;  recjuest  testify: 

^'I  shouhl  like  to  go  to  that  church  and  preach 
the  go^spel  to  those  wlio  murdered  my  parents/' 
said  he  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child. 

When  the  matter  of  indemnity  for  native  Chris- 
tians was  brought  up  for  consideration,  the  offi- 
cials would  gladly  have  paid  any  bill  the  young 
man  ^yould  have  put  in.  All  the  property  his  father 
had,  had  been  taken,  and  seven  children  had  been 
left  orphans.  But  when  asked  what  indemnity  he 
wanted,  his  ansAver  was,  '^We  are  not  in  need;  we 
do  not  want  indemnity." 

Ch'en's  investment  of  influence  in  his  sons  and 
daughters  is  appearing  in  the  form  of  the  noblest 
Christian  character  and  self-sacrificing  service. 

Isaac  Taylor  Headland. 


PASTOR  CH'EN'S  FOURTH  SON,  CH'EN  WEI-CH'ENG. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Ohai  Gee^ 
a  burning  and  a  shining  light. 

Cliai  Gee  was  small,  but  his  appearance  was 
striking  enough.  The  first  thing  you  noticed  was 
that  his  were  not  Chinese  eyes,  not  ^'almond 
shaped,"  with  that  straight  ^Mongoliiin  upper  line, 
but  regular  in  form,  of  a  rich,  lustrous  hazel  color, 
and  beautifully  transparent.  His  manner  was  soft 
and  gentle,  even  timid,  and  there  was  a  lack  of 
self-consciousness.  The  impression  was  one  of  del- 
icacy and  refinement.  This  winsomeness  never  left 
him,  but  as  a  preacher  he  was  peculiarly  distin- 
guished for  fervor  and  power.  The  transformation 
of  a  petty  farmer  into  a  veritable  Boanerges  must 
now  be  told. 

He  held  a  few  Chinese  acres  which  he  had  inher- 
ited from  his  father.  On  this  land  was  a  hillock. 
Geomancers  had  declared  that  the  feng-shui  (luck) 
of  this  hill  Avas  very  superior,  and  that  whoever  had 
his  tombstone  upon  it,  would  thereby  insure  good 
luck  to  all  his  posterity.  The  knoll  was  coveted  by 
a  rich  neighbor,  who  offered  Chai  Gee  a  small  sum 
for  it.  This  was  naturally  declined,  whereupon  the 
rich  man  took  it  by  force.  It  was  a  case  of  Na- 
both's  vineyard  in  Chinese  dress,     The  I'ich   man 

26 


26  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

sent  workmen,  who  cleared  the  ground  and  set  up 
a  tombstone.  Chai  Gee  was  desperate,  and,  al- 
though helpless  in  the  presence  of  the  workmen, 
he  Avent  at  night-time  and  threw  down  the  tomb- 
stone. For  this  the  rich  man  had  him  arrested 
and  thrown  into  prison.  The  venial  nmgistrate 
was  bribed,  and  favored  the  rich  nmn.  After  a 
time  the  tomb  Avas  rebuilt,  and  Chai  Gee  Avas  liber- 
ated. No  sooner  Avas  he  free  than  he  again  de- 
Sitroyed  the  stone,  the  symbol  of  his  oppression.  He 
Avas  again  arretted,  and  this  time  he  AA^as  not  to  be 
released  until  he  agreed  to  let  the  rich  man  have 
the  ground.  And  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure, 
he  was,  in  the  usual  Chinese  fashion,  chained.  He 
Avas  in  despair.  The  sense  of  Avrong  suffered 
goaded  him  to  madness.  He  refused  to  have  his 
hair  cut,  and  went  in  and  out  of  the  prison  yard 
looking  like  a  maniac.  He  declared  that  he  would 
go  in  that  garb  of  mourning  to  the  end  of  his  days, 
unless  he  got  his  case  redressed. 

Thus  weeks  and  months  passed  a,Avay.  One  day 
a  sudden  impulse  seized  him.  He  lifted  up  his  eyes 
toAvard  heaven  and  prayed.  ^'O  (xod  in  lieaA^en,  if 
there  is  a  God,  help  me  to  break  this  chain  and 
escape  from  this  i)rison.  You  s(h^  Iioav  I  am 
wronged.  Hear  nu?,  and  liel])  me,  I  pray  you,  O 
God  in  heaven."  He  began  to'  wrench  tin*  chain 
Avith  the  strength  of  a  madman,  and  b)I  tlie  links 
parted,  and  he  Avas  free.  Tlie  links  in  tliese  cliains 
are  often  not  Avelded,  but,  howevei*  \\'e  may  explain 
the  fact,  he  felt  that  Heaven  had  released  him. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  27 

He  watched  his  opportunity  and  slipped  out  of 
the  yard  with  a  piece  of  chain  danglins^  at  each 
TNTist.  From  that  time  lie  became  a  Avanderer. 
He  ventured  home  only  at  intervals,  and  at  the  dead 
of  night.  He  roamed  the  country,  begging  food. 
Sometimes  he  got  Avork.  But  he  had  constantly 
to  elude  his  persecutors. 

The  Avronged  and  wretched  outcast  one  evening 
wandered  by  a  chapel  where  a  native  evangelist  was 
preaching.  In  the  course  of  his  discourse,  he  fre- 
quently spoke  of  ^^the  living  God  in  heaven."  Chai 
Gee  was  startled.  '^Why,''  said  he^  "that  is  the 
God  that  helped  me.--  He  was  stirred  to  the  depths 
of  his  soul.  He  became  an  "inquirer,"  and  a  regu- 
lar attendant  at  chapel  services,  and  soon  declared 
himself  a  believer.  He  was  full  of  an  unspeak- 
able delight.  He  noAV  went  to  a  barber  and  had 
his  head  shaved,  and  took  pains  to  make  his  shabby 
clothes  appear  as  respectable  as  possible. 

His  few  friends  were,  naturally,  astonished  at 
the  change. 

"You  have  shaved  and  dressed  yourself  again. 
Have  you  got  back  your  land?" 

"Oh,  no,"  he  replied,  "but  I  have  found  something 
Avorth  a  myriad  farms.  I  liaAC  found  the  living  God 
and  his  8on  Jesus  Christ,  and  am  an  heir  to  pos- 
sessions worth  more  than  the  Avhole  world." 

He  thought  no  more  of  his  farm.  He  came  before 
the  church,  and  told  his  story  with  streaming  eyes, 
and  Avas  baptized.  At  once  he  began  to  tell  his 
storv  to  all  Avho  Avould  listen.     His  fervor  Avas  re- 


28  Illustri?us  Chinese  Christians. 

marka.ble.  Home  called  him  ''poor,  crazy  Chai," 
because  lie  talked  so  constantly  of  his  imperishable 
inheritance,  which  no  rich  man  or  mandarin  could 
take  away  from  him.  But  he  was  moved  b}-  such 
an  intense  conviction  that,  through  him,  many  of 
these  scoffers  were  afterward  converted. 

He  was  now  wanted  as  a  helper,  on  account  of 
his  many  fine  qualities.  But  he  was  illiterate. 
He  became  a  student,  and  with  such  diligence  that 
he  was  very  soon  reading  his  New  Testament  for 
himself. 

He  increased  in  wisdom.  His  spiritual  insight 
was  marked  and  profound.  He  was  the  John  of 
his  group  of  preachers.  Year  by  year  he  became 
more  scholarly,  and  at  the  same  time  more  devout 
and  earnest,  until  a  falling  timber  from  a  house 
under  construction  brought  his  promising  career 
to  a  sudden  end. 

Chai  Gee  realized  the  highest  conceptions  of  a 
capable,  consecrated,  indefatigable  and  tactful 
evangelist.  In  season  and  out  he  was  busy  about 
the  Master's  business.  He  was  never  idle.  Study- 
ing, teaching,  preaching,  he  became  a  model  to 
his  fellows.  He  had  an  impulsive  nature,  and  he 
often  preached  with  a  vehemence  that  was  really 
tremendous. 

He  was  fond  of  speaking  of  the  love  of  Christ, 
and  as,  in  soft  and  subdued  tones,  he  expatiated 
on  that  wondrous  theme,  his  soul  was  greatly 
moved  and  his  beautiful  brown  eyes  became  liquid. 

Another  favorite  theme  was  '^The  Majesty  and 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  29 

Grandeur  of  the  Almighty."  }^o  impressive  and 
commanding  was  he  when  on  this  and  some  other 
themes,  that  scoffers  fairly  quailed  before  him. 
''Do  you  not  tremble  before  the  mighty  God  who 
thunders  in  the  heavens,  and  who  can  send  de- 
struction upon  you  in  a  moment?  Do  you  defy 
his  power?"  Then  the  onslaught  wound  up  with 
a  loving  and  kindly  appeal.  In  the  combination 
of  these  two  styles  lay  his  power,  for  a  powerful 
preacher  he  surely  was. 

An  incident  will  illustrate  his  character.  Across 
the  bay  was  a  village  which  had  a  bad  reputation 
for  piracy,  and  violence  generally.  To  this  village 
he  proposed  to  go  and  preach.  The  dangers  w^ere 
pointed  out  to  him.  But  he  said  God  would  take 
care  of  him.  So  he  went,  and  preached.  But  when 
the  last  passenger  boat  had  arrived,  Chai  Gee  was 
not  among  the  passengers.  It  was  feared  he  had 
been  captured  and  would  be  held  for  ransom.  But 
the  next  morning  he  appeared,  and  with  an  inter- 
esting story. 

He  had  preached  all  day.  In  the  evening  he  was 
thus  engaged,  with  a  crowd  around  him.  Suddenly 
there  was  a  commotion.  A  rough  and  savage- 
looking  man  pushed  his  wa}'  through  the  throng, 
crying,  ''Let  me!  let  me!"  The  crowd  divided  be- 
fore his  violence,  and  he  stood  before  Chai  Gee. 
He  had  a  woodcleaver  in  his  hand.  Raising  it,  he 
said,  "You  dare  to  speak  that  accursed  name  again, 
and  I  will  split  your  head  open."  The  people, 
frightened,  stood  back.     So  they  faced  each  other. 


30  Illustrious  Chinese  (vtiRisTiANS. 

the  3'oimg  preacher,  and  the  savage  luau  with  his 
cleaver.  Chai  Gee  silently  prayed  to  God.  He 
then  began  slowly  and  softly,  ''My  friend,  I  can  tell 
you  about  a  person  who  hated  this  doctrine  worse 
than  you  do,  and  went  about  killing  people  because 
they  believed  it.''  This  introduction  aroused  the 
curiosity  of  the  man.  He  listened.  Then  Chai 
Gee  told  the  story  of  Saul  of  Tarsus.  The  cleaver 
dropped.  The  man  was  greatly  interested.  And  in 
a  few  minutes  the  name  of  Jesus  was  being 
mentioned  over  and  over  again.  The  crowd  closed 
around.  The  man  slipped  away  after  a  time,  and 
Chai  Gee  continued  for  some  time  to  pour  out  the 
vehemence  of  his  soul. 

But  by  this  he  missed  the  last  boat.  What  should 
he  do?  He  must  go  to  an  inn.  One  was  pointed 
out  to  him.  On  the  Avay  he  passed  a  dooryard. 
To  his  consternation,  he  there  saw  the  man  with 
the  cleaver,  splitting  wood.  His  first  impulse  was 
to  run.  He  did  not  do  so,  but  quickened  his  pace. 
Suddenly  the  man  called  out,  "Where  are  you 
going?''     - 

"I  have  missed  my  boat,  and  am  seeking  an  inn 
for  the  night." 

'^You  need  go  no  farther,''  said  the  man,  the  tiger 
growl  all  gone  out  of  liis  voice.  "Stay  here.  I  will 
take  good  care  of  you,  give  you  something  to  eat, 
and  a  place  to  sleep.'' 

Chai  Gee,  fearing  treachery,  hesitated,  but,  see- 
ing no  escape,  finally -accepted.  He  was  allowed  to 
preach  the  gospel  in  the  house,  and  the  next  morn- 


Illitstuiotts  Chinese  rmnsTiAxs.  31 

ing  was  sent  on  his  way,  the  niau  refusing  to*  accept 
any  compensation  for  his  hospitality, 

Chai  Cee  closed  tlie  narrative  with :  "You  see 
how  God  took  care  of  me.  Ah!  I  can  trust  him 
when  in  danger/' 


CHAPTER  III. 

Pastor  Wong  Yuk  Cii'o, 
an  honored  prophet. 

The  storms  of  wind  and  rain,  snow  and  hail  which 
beat  upon  the  young  oak  do  but  root  it  more  se- 
curely in  the  ground,  and  cause  it  to  take  firmer 
hold  of  the  soil,  and  to  spread  its  branches  more 
widely  to  the  sun  and  air,  until  those  who  have  not 
watched  its  growth  wonder  at  its  massive  strength 
and  giant  branches.  So  is  it  with  men.  There  are 
some  men  who  make  us  marvel  by  the  way  in  which 
they  tower  above  their  fellows,  and  stand  firm  and 
undaunted  in  the  midst  of  storms  and  trials,  strong 
in  faith,  nothing  wavering. 

Such  a  man  is  Pastor  Wong  Yuk  Cli'o,  of  the 
London  Mission  Independent  Church  in  Hongkong: 
a  man  whose  strong,  rugged  face,  spare  figure,  and 
faithful,  dauntless  speech  remind  one  often  of  Eli- 
jah the  projjhet.  No  visionary  dreamer  he,  but  a 
man  of  broad  mind,  gTeat  intelligence,  deep  ear- 
nestness, far-seeing  vision,  and  acute  spiritual  per- 
ception; a  man  who  lives  near  to  Cod,  and  fears 
not  the  face  of  man. 

Pastor  Wong  Yuk  Ch'o  is  also  a  most  true-hearted 
patriot,  who  weeps  over  his  country's  shame,  and 
prays  and  labors  incessantly  for  her  reformation 


PASTOR  WONG-YUK-CH'O,  AN  HONORED  PROPHET. 


iLU'STRIOrS  C'lIIXESi:   rilKISTIAXS.  35 

from  unthin.  His  sermons  are  full  of  deep  tlioiio^lit 
and  spiritual  truth,  and  yet  intensely  practical,  and 
suited  to  the  needs  of  the  hour.  As  we  listen  to  his 
earnest  words,  and  watch  his  faithful,  patient  life 
and  work,  and  hear  his  many  schemes  for  the 
advancement  of  his  people,  we  wonder  at  the  man. 
But  when  we  learn  the  story  of  his  life,  we  wonder 
no  longer.  He  has  been  deeply  taught  of  God,  and 
is  indeed  '^rooted  and  grounded  in  him,''  all  tlie 
more  firmly  by  reason  of  the  many  storms  of  trial 
and  persecution  which  have  passed  over  his  head. 

His  life's  story  Avill  be  best  told  in  his  own  simple 
words,  as  nearly  .a,s  possible. 

"I  belong,"  said  Pastor  Wong,  ^^to  the  Kwong- 
Tung  Province,  the  Tung-Kun  Department,  and  the 
town  of  Fu-Mun.  My  father  Avas  born  in  1817,  and 
was  baptized  in  1817  by  Pastor  Gutzlaff.  I  myself 
was  born  in  1813.  In  1850  my  father  moved  into 
the  San-On  district,  to  the  village  of  Fuk-Wing, 
where  I  was  baptized  by  Pastor  Lobschied,  of  the 
Phenish  Mission,  at  the  age  of  seven.  I  Avas  after- 
wards sent  to  Pastor  Genhaer  to  school.  In  1858, 
because  of  fighting  in  the  neighborhood,  my  father 
sent  us  back  to  Fu-Mun,  while  he  himself  remained 
alone  at  his  post  in  Fuk-Wing.  He  was  seized  by 
the  soldiers  and  taken  to  the  village  of  Sha-Tsing, 
and  imprisoned  in  the  Ancestral  Hall,  AAdiile  the 
soldiers  outside  were  dividing  the  spoils  which  they 
had  looted,  intending  afterwards  to  take  my  father 
to  Canton  to  claim  the  rcAvard  for  a  captured 
Christian.    While  this  was  going  on,  my  father  in- 


3G  iLLUSTKious  Chinese  Christians. 

side  the  hall  was  silently  praying  that  God  would 
save  him.  After  a  little  while,  a  young  man  came 
in,  and  led  my  father  out  in  face  of  the  soldiers , 
and  past  them !  but  they  were  so  occupied  with  their 
booty  that  not  one  of  them  saw  him,  and  he  got 
safely  away.'' 

Amid  such  danger  and  strife  was  the  little  lad 
brought  up. 

''In  1860,  while  I  was  in  Hongkong  with  Pastor 
Lobschied,  at  the  Berlin  Foundling  House,  one 
night  I  suddenly  saAV  my  mother  standing  before 
me.  The  next  day  I  was  troubled  and  anxious 
about  her,  and  on  the  third  day  I  received  a  letter 
from  home,  telling  me  that  my  mother  had  died 
on  the  very  night  on  which  I  saw  her. 

"After  a  visit  home,  my  father  brought  me  again 
to  Hongkong  to  study  under  Pastor  Genhaer. 
Later  on.  Pastor  Genhaer  moved  into  the  Kwai- 
8hin  Department  to  preach  and  to  teach,  and,  be- 
cause I  was  stupid  and  did  not  care  for  books,  he 
advised  my  father  to  put  me  to  learn  a  trade.  This 
also  I  was  unwilling  to  do,  so  that  my  father  became 
very  sad  about  me,  and  spent  many  hours  in  earnest 
prayer  on  my  behalf.'' 

The  downrightness  and  steadfastness  of  the  man, 
then  only  a  youth  of  eighteen,  comes  out  very 
strongly  in  the  next  sentence. 

"In  1861  I  decided  to  study  and  become  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel." 

Prom   that   time   he   never   wavered,    but   went 


iLLrSTKIOrS  rmXESE   rilHISTTANS.  37 

steadily  forward  in  the  clioseu  path  of  duty,  in  the 
face  of  many  hindrances. 

"In  1863  1  had  tlireatenings  of  disease  of  the 
lungs.  In  1864  there  Ayas  a  terrible  epidemic  of 
cholera  in  tlie  KAyai-Shin  district,  ^yllere  I  was 
studying.  Pastor  Genhaer  Ayas  himself  far  from 
Ayell,  but  he  labored  night  and  day,  toiling  anxiously 
among  the  sick  and  the  dying,  helping,  healing  and 
praying.  Then  he  took  a  poor  Chinese  woman,  ill 
of  cholera,  and  cast  out  by  her  friends,  into  his 
o^yn  house,  and  ministered  to  her  there  with  his 
own  hands.  That  night  his  own  eldest  son  fell  ill 
with  cholera,  and  to  him  also  Pastor  Genhaer  min- 
istered, until  the  next  morning  he  himself  was  un- 
able to  rise,  smitten  with  the  same  deadly  sickness. 
He  called  for  me  to  come  and  help  him  and  his  son 
in  their  sore  need.  That  same  afternoon  both  the 
pastor  and  his  son  died,  and  most  of  the  scholars 
fled  in  terror.  Thank  God,  although  my  brother 
and  I  did  everything  that  could  be  done  for  both 
the  pastor  and  his  son,  until  God  took  them  (and 
also  for  another  sick  in  the  house),  and  afterwards 
prepared  their  bodies  for  burial,  we  were  kept  per- 
fectly well  and  free  from  sickness,  while  very  many 
of  those  who  fled  in  fear  were  taken  ill,  and  many 
of  them  died.'' 

A  simple  record  of  faithful  heroism  and  fearless 
devotion. 

"In  1865  Pastor  Krolezyk  asked  me  to  go  to  Shek- 
Sung  to  preach,  and  in  1866  Pastor  Faber  asked 
me  to  go  to  Fu-Mun  to  teach  and  to  preach.     In 


38  iLLISTRIOrS  ClTIXESK   ClIUISTIANS. 

1867,  having  married,  1  weut  back  to  Shek-Sung 
to  teach  and  to  preach.  That  same  year  my  lung 
trouble  came  back  upon  me. 

'^In  18()8  I  was  sent  back  to  Fu-Mun,  where  my 
eldest  daughter  was  born  in  1809.  1  afterwards 
took  my  famiW  to  Tung-Kun  (Mty  to  be  with  my 
father,  while  I  returned  to  Fu-Mun. 

"In  1870  there  were  reports  spread  about  Tung- 
Kun  City  that  my  father  was  using  medicinal  pow- 
der to  delude  women  into  entering  the  church ;  and 
because  of  these  false  reports  my  father  and  step- 
mother, my  wife  and  child  were  placed  in  extreme 
peril.  Some  one  came  to  Fu-Mun  with  the  news, 
and  told  me  that  he  could  not  say  whether  my  peo- 
ple were  dead  or  alive.  I  set  off  immediately  for 
Tung-Kun  City.  On  the  passage-boat  I  preached 
the  gospel,  and  discussed  it  with  my  fellow-passen- 
gers." 

Very  characteristic  this  of  the  man.  His  own 
sore  anxiety  he  put  on  one  side  that  he  might  bring 
his  Master's  message  to  souls  that  day. 

''That  day  the  wind  was  contrary,  and  because  I 
was  in  sore  haste,  I  got  off  the  boat  half  way  up  the 
river,  that  I  might  take  a  sliorter  route  to  Tung- 
Kun  City  on  foot." 

That  this  seeming  d(4ay,  through  contrary  winds, 
was  only  the  ''good  liand  of  God'-  upon  him,  he 
afterwards  learned. 

"When  I  got  to  the  city,  I  found  the  chapel  torn 
down,  and  saw  my  stepmother's,  sister^s  and  wife's 
clothes  and  bound-foot  shoes  hanging  on  the  ruined 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        '  39 

walls,  while  those  who  passed  were  discussing  how 
that  my  father  had  deluded  both  large  and  small 
footed  women  to  enter  the  church  in  great  numbers. 
I  could  not  find  out  where  my  people  Avere,  or  what 
had  become  of  them ;  so  I  went  back  to  Shek-Sung, 
and  thence  to  Canton,  seeking  some  trace  of  them. 
In  Canton  I  learned  what  perils  the^^  had  met 
with,  and  how  they  had  been  wondrously  delivered. 

"My  little  daughter,  A  Tsing  (now  head  teacher 
of  the  London  Mission  Training  Home  for  Chinese 
Girls  in  Hongkong),  was  then  about  six  months 
old.  One  of  the  rioters  snatched  her  up,  and  was 
intending  to  dash  her  to  the  ground,  when,  thank 
God,  instead  of  crying  at  such  rude  handling,  the 
baby  laughed  in  his  face.  A  man  standing  by  said 
to  the  would-be  murderer,  'How  can  you  have  such 
a  hard  heart  as  to  kill  a  laughing  child  like  that? 
You  had  better  give  her  to  me.'  This  man  Avas  a 
friend  of  my  father's  Avhom  he  had  healed.  He  thus 
saved  the  baby  from  the  hands  of  these  cruel  men, 
and  gave  her  back  to  my  people,  whom  he  also  con- 
triA^ed  to  help  escape  to  Canton  and  thence  to  Fu- 
Mun." 

The  baby  saved  that  day  from  death  has  done 
many  years'  good  Avork  for  the  Master,  and,  please 
God,  will  do  many  more  yet. 

"A  soldier  who  was  known  to  my  father,  said  to 
him  afterAvards,  'What  times  are  these  that  your 
son  must  needs  discuss  the  gospel  on  passage-boats? 
That  day  on  the  passage-boat  going  to  Tung-Kun 
there  Avere  a  number  of  rowdies,  who,  hearing  him 


40  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

speaking  the  gospel,  decided  among  themselves  that 
as  soon  as  he  left  the  boat  at  the  end  of  the  journey, 
they  would  beat  him  to  death.  Fortunately,  your 
son  got  off  the  boat  half  way  up  the  river,  and  was 
thus  saved.' 

"That  year  my  lung  affection  increased  so  much 
that  the  Rhenish  Missionary  Society  set  me  free 
from  my  duties  to  see  what  complete  rest  would  do 
for  me.  My  father  was  very  anxious  about  me,  and 
spent  long  hours  in  prayer  for  my  recovery,  getting 
up  long  before  daylight  to  plead  that  God  would 
si)are  my  life.  At  that  time  I  was  in  Fuk-Wing 
nursing  myself,  and  my  wife  and  family  were  again 
in  Tung-Kun  City  with  my  father. 

"In  1871  the  report  about  the  medicinal  powder 
was  again  spread  abroad,  and  all  through  the  dis- 
trict cha])els  were  destroyed.  The  rioters  were  de- 
termined to  get  hold  of  my  father  this  time,  and 
put  him  to  death,  but  again  a  way  of  escape  was 
w^ondrously  made. 

"Just  at  that  time,  Pastor  Krolezyk  and  Pastor 
Nacken  went  from  Canton  to  Shek-Sung,  and  sent 
for  my  fatlier  to  meet  them  there,  that  they  might 
discuss  witli  him  whether  it  was  advisable  for  them 
to  go  on  to  Tung-Kun  City  or  not.  My  father  had 
only  just  left  for  Shek-Sung,  when  the  rioters  sur- 
rounded the  chapel,  and  began  to  destroy  and  loot. 
A  friend  of  my  father,  hearing  what  was  going  on, 
rushed  to  the  place,  brought  out  the  women  and 
the  children,  and  took  them  in  safety  to  Canton. 
My  father,  on  landing  from  the  passage-l)oat,  on  his 


Illustrious  Ciiixkse  Ciiristlvxs.  41 

return  from  Shek-Siing,  heard  at  the  landing  that 
the  chapel  had  been  destroyed,  so  he  took  a  by-road 
to  the  cit3'.  Half  way  there  he  met  some  of  the 
rioters  with  their  booty.  One  of  the  men  recognized 
my  father,  and  wished  to  take  him  and  throw  him 
into  the  river.  Bnt  God  intervened,  and  another 
man  said,  'You  have  already  taken  all  the  nmn's 
goods.  What  m  the  use  of  killing  him  now?'  and 
thus  was  my  father  saved.  Having  reached  a  small 
village,  he  sought  out  a  friend  there,  but  his  friend 
dare  not  shelter  him  many  hours,  and  at  midnight 
led  him  out  of  the  village  and  put  him  on  the  road  to 
Canton.  Afterwards  in  Hongkong  he  met  with  this 
same  friend,  who  told  him  that,  not  long  after  he 
left,  the  village  rowdies  came  in  a  great  crowd  to 
the  house  and  demanded  that  my  father  should  be 
brought  out  to  them,  saying  that  he  had  put  magical 
powder  in  the  wells.  When  told  that  he  was  not 
there,  they  would  not  believe  it,  and  so  threatened 
the  man  that  he  was  obliged  to  flee  to  Hongkong  for 
safety.  At  that  time,  I  was  myself  in  Fuk-Wing  for 
the  sake  of  my  health.  When  I  heard  that  my  fam- 
ily had  been  obliged  to  take  refuse  in  Hono^kono-,  I 
went  there  at  once,  and  found  that  the  climate 
agreed  with  me  so  well  that  I  asked  the  Rhenish 
Mission  if  they  would  give  me  work  to  do  there. 

"In  1873  Pastor  Klitzke  asked  me  to  go  to  the 
Berlin  Foundling  House  to  teach  and  to  preach, 
and  I  thank  Ood  that  from  that  time  the  disease 
of  the  lungs  with  which  I  liad  been  troubled  grad- 
ual Iv  left  me  (^ntirelv. 


42  Illustrious  CiiiiNksk  Ciiuistlvxs. 

^'lu  1884,  after  1  had  beeu  ordaiued  a  pastor,  I 
was  asked  by  the  elders  and  congregation  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society's  Independent  Church 
in  Hongkong  to  become  their  pastor,  and,  with  the 
consent  of  the  Rhenish  Mission,  I  accepted  the  call/' 

Very  generously  the  Rhenish  ^lission  allowed 
Pastor  Wong  to  sever  the  connection  of  a  lifetime, 
and,  recognizing  with  him  the  importance  of  the 
call — the  wider  sphere  and  larger  opportunities — 
gave  him  up  to  his  new  work  for  the  common  Lord. 

From  that  day  to  this  Pastor  Wong  Yuk  Ch'o 
has  faithfully  filled  that  post.  In  labors  more 
abundant,  he  has  never  spared  himself  in  anything 
that  could  in  any  way  benefit  his  people,  but  has 
schemed  and  planned,  and  worked  day  and  night 
for  their  welfare.  In  a  place  like  Hongkong, 
where  so  many  are  birds  of  passage,  a  church  can 
not  grow  in  the  same  way  as  where  there  is  a  set- 
tled population  growing  up  year  after  year,  and 
generation  after  generation ;  its  influence  is  more 
widely  diffused  and  less  concentrated.  Also,  in 
a  port  where  East  and  West  meet  (too  often  in 
their  lowest  and  worst  aspects),  the  luxuries, 
temptations  and  vices  are  many,  and  work  very  ad- 
versely against  the  life  of  a  church.  But,  in  spite 
of  these,  and  many  other  and  great  liindrances, 
the  To-T'sai  Church,  under  Pastor  AN'ong,  lias  been 
built  up  and  strengthened,  and  has  made  very  de- 
cided growth  and  progress,  as  those  Avho  have 
known  it  during  that  period  can  testify.  Wlierein 
it  has  not  progressed  has  not  been  for  the  lack  of 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  43 

a  most  faithful  and  intelligent  ministry  of  the  word 
of  God,  by  a  most  devoted  pastor  for  seventeen 
years. 

Pastor  Wong  is  now  fifty-nine  years  of  age,  and 
his  aged  father — still  a  power  in  the  family  coun- 
cils— is  hale  and  vigorous  at  eighty-five.  The  pas- 
tor has  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters 
living,  and  eight  grandchildren.  All  of  his  chil- 
dren (except  those  who  are  still  at  school)  are  hon- 
orably occupying  positions  of  trust  and  influence. 
The  third  and  fourth  sons,  after  brilliant  careers 
in  the  Imperial  College  in  Tientsin,  have  just  been 
sent,  at  the  expense  of  the  Chinese  Government,  to 
America  (and  probably  afterwards  to  Europe) 
for  a  period  of  four  or  five  years'  study — one  of  min- 
ing and  surveying,  the  other  of  international  law. 
The  two  eldest  daughters  are  filling  the  posts  of 
first  and  second  teachers  in  the  London  Missionary 
Society's  Training  House  for  Chinese  Girls,  Hong- 
kong. 

Pastor  Wong  Yuk  Ch'o  has  Avritten  three  books. 
The  first  is  a  tractate  on  the  reasons  why  the  church 
is  hated  by  the  rulers ;  the  second  is  an  appeal  from 
himself,  as  a  Christian  pastor,  to  the  rulers  to  help 
their  unhappy  people  to  true  reformation,  in  which 
appeal  he  also  strives  to  give  them  a  better  under- 
standing of  Christianity;  the  third  is  a  treatise  on 
the  reform  necessary  within  the  church  to  cause  the 
gospel  to  spread  far  and  wide  through  the  country. 
He  has  also,  with  much  thought  and  labor,  designed 
a  very  wonderful  and  simple  set  of  strokes,  and 


44  Illustrious  Chinese  (Miiustlvns. 

combiiiatious  of  strokes,  representing  the  sounds 
of  the  Chinese  language,  hoping  in  this  way  to 
overcome  the  j)rejudice  of  the  people  by  making 
the  reading  of  books  an  easy  matter  for  the  many 
instead  of  the  few,  and  the  wide  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge its  consequent  result.  This  new  system  of 
Avriting  the  sounds  of  the  Chinese  language  (which 
can  easily  be  mastered  in  from  ten  to  fifteen  days), 
along  Avith  other  new  systems  of  writing,  the  Em- 
peror had  ordered  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen  to  examine 
and  present  to  him,  just  before  the  coup  d'etat, 
when  a  barrier  Avas  put  for  a  time  to  all  progress. 
This  earnest-hearted  patriot,  Pastor  Wong,  thus 
AM'ites :  ''Alas  that  my  country,  although  God,  by 
his  grace,  has  aroused  her  so  many  times,  until 
this  day  is  not  yet  thoroughly  awakened !  Perhaps 
she  may  be,  even  noAv,  beginning  to  awake  in  re- 
ality. My  hope  is  that  Europe  and  America,  the 
two  great  Christian  continents,  Avill  not  think  only 
Avhat  profit  they  can  get  from  China,  but  will  also 
remember  that  the  people  of  China  are  in  great 
darkness  and  bitterness  of  soul,  and  also  tlmt  the 
disciples  of  Christ  suffer  most  of  all.  I  ])ray  that 
the  people  of  these  two  great  Christian  continents, 
Avith  their  rulers,  will  devise  some  means  of  help- 
ing my  country  to  true  reformation,  that  she  may 
leave  the  darkness  and  come  into  the  light.  I  also 
pray  that  the  Christian  churches  of  all  lands  Avill 
carefully  revise  their  methods  that  the  gospel  ot 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  spread  far  and  wide." 


REV.  Y.  K.  YEN,  SHANGHAI,  CHINA. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Rev.  Y.  K.  Vex,  M.  A. 

The  Rev.  Yimo-  Kiung  Yen,  M.  A.,  known  while 
in  the  States  as  Mr.  Ngan  Y^oong  Kiung,  was  born 
in  Shanghai,  in  the  3^ear  1838,  or,  to  be  more  exact, 
on  the  ninth  day,  first  moon,  nineteenth  year  of 
Tao  Kwang.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Amoy, 
and  was  engaged  as  manager  of  one  of  the  numer- 
ous cotton  hongs  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  located 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Small  East  Gate.  He 
was  the  third  of  five  children,  as  his  ''milk  name," 
San  Doo,  ''the  third  great  one,"  clearly  indicated 
to  his  schoolmates,  but  he  became  the  eldest  child 
by  the  death  of  the  two  older  brothers. 

His  early  life  seems  to  be  clothed  in  mystery,  but 
when  he  was  nine  years  old  he  became  a  pupil  at  one 
of  the  day  schools  started  by  the  American  Church 
Mission  under  the  first  Bishop  Boone.  Notwith- 
standing his  youthfulness,  it  is  said  that  he  was 
regarded  with  respect  on  account  of  his  being  the 
cleverest  boy,  in  both  English  and  Chinese.  At  the 
same  time,  as  one  of  his  old  schoolmates  tells  us, 
"his  mind  was  full  of  resources,  and  so  he  was  ever 
ready  to  invent  some  innocent  amusement  for  him- 
self and  his  schoolmates  in  the  vacations  or  recess 
hours.     One  favorite  pastime  w^as  a  mock  Taoist 

47 


48  lLLL'JSTiauufc5  CiiiNEJSi:  (Mikistia.ws. 

procession  in  wliich  he  would  take  the  lead  by  wrap- 
ping himself  in  a  bed  sheet,  his  queue  done  up  in  a 
chignon,  and  the  sclioo]  bell  in  hand,  with  ten  or  a 
dozen  boys  similarly  attired  followiing  him.  .  .  . 
If  a  pet  dog  of  the  school  died,  Yen  would  organize 
a  mock  funeral  a  la  Chinoise,  with  all  its  eclat 
and  circumstance.  .  .  .  Taken  on  the  whole. 
Yen  enjoyed  the  hilarious  exercises  here  just  as 
much  as  an  average  undergraduate  does  in  Amer- 
ica, Avhere  subsequently  he  again  found  opportuni- 
ties of  gratifying  his  exuberant  nature. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  the  United  States 
for  a  more  thorough  education.  A  Rev,  Mr.  Clem- 
ens, of  Delaware,  took  him  and  a  companion  under 
his  charge,  and  at  his  residence  they  remained  two 
years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  his  companion, 
Mr.  Yang,  returned  to  China. 

Mr.  Y^'en  then  Avent  up  to  New  York  and  matricu- 
lated at  Anthon's  Classical  School,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  preparatory  course  prior  to  entering  col- 
lege. While  there,  and  later,  at  college,  the  Sun- 
day-school of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  whoise 
rector  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  G.  Thurston  Bedell,  sup- 
l^lied  him  with  funds  for  his  expenses.  When  Dr. 
Bedell  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Y^en 
followed  him  to  that  State.  There  he  became  a 
student  of  Kenyon  College  at  Gambler,  Ohio. 

Hiis  college  life  was  most  happy.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Fraternity.  As 
some  one  says,  "Skating  and  swimming  invigorated 
his  body.    On  the  campus  he  could  swing  the  bat  as 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  49 

well  as  the  next  man,  and  in  the  debating  society 
he  was  never  at  a  loss  for  a  repartee,  and  his  part- 
ing salute  was  always  resonant.'' 

He  graduated  a  bachelor  of  arts,  but  his  alma 
mater  conferred  on  him  the  master's  degree  a  few 
years  later. 

He  was  in  his  twenty-third  year  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  mother  land,  then  with  the  Tai-ping 
rebellion  at  its  height.  Being  a  kind  of  foster 
child  of  the  mission,  he  naturally  desired  to  enter 
its  employ.  Owing  to  the  war  in  America,  the  mis- 
sion was  short  of  funds,  and  could  not  take  on 
another  worker.  For  this  reason,  and  because  he 
wished  to  assist  in  paying  some  family  obligations, 
he  accepted  the  position  of  interpreter  to  the  Brit- 
ish Consulate,  after  promising  Bishop  Boone  that 
he  would  return  to  mission  work  after  a  few  years. 
It  need  only  be  said  that  his  earning"s  frequently 
amounted  to  three  or  four  hundred  taels  per  month, 
to  show  the  ease  with  which  men  with  a  sound 
English  education  could  make  themselves  wealthy 
in  those  days.  He  joined  the  firm  of  Hanbury  & 
Co.,  subsequently,  and  finally  became  interpreter 
to  the  Municipal  Council.  While  holding  these 
responsible  positions,  so  liable  to  grave  abuses,  hvs 
integrity  would  not  permit  him  to  soil  his  hands 
with  unlawful  gains.  His  single  example  is  suflS- 
eient  to  quash  that  vicious,  unreasonable  affirma- 
tion of  some  foreigners  that  all  Chinese  are  men- 
dacious and  dishonest.  So  appreciative  was  the 
Municipal  Council  of  his  services  and  character 


50  iLLrSTHlOlS  CillXKSE  CHRISTIANS. 

that  the  nieinbers  urged  him  to  sign  a  contract 
continuing  his  position  for  a  k)ng  period  of  years. 
His  intention  to  join  the  mission  was  dormant, 
though  not  dead.  As  soon  as  the  mission  was  iin 
proper  working  order,  he  left  the  business  worhl 
and  became  a  candidate  for  hoi}-  orders  under  the 
Right  Rev.  C.  M.  Williams,  the  successor  to  Bishop 
Boone. 

It  is  interesting  and  instructive  to  note  that 
while  he  was  in  business,  he  was  at  the  same  time 
doing,  at  his  own  expense,  charitable  and  mission- 
ary work.  He  was  the  patron  of  a  day  school,  and 
identified  himself  with  the  clerical  and  pastoral 
duties  of  the  Church  of  Our  Saviour,  in  Shanghai. 

Of  his  lifelong  work  in  connection  with  the  Amer- 
ican Church  Mission,  the  Rev.  F.  L.  Hawks-Pott, 
D.  D.,  says:  ^'For  twelve  years  he  spent  his  ener- 
gies in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  church's  work 
at  Wuchang  and  Hangkow.  It  was  hard,  up-hill 
work,  and  seemingly  one  that  produced  no  great 
results.  Many  must  have  been  the  hours  of  dis- 
couragement, but  through  it  all  he  showed  the  in- 
domitable perseverance  for  Avhich  his  countrymen 
are  noted.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  that  during  his 
last  days  he  was  able  to  see  some  of  the  fruits  of 
his  labor,  and  the  last  article  penned  by  him  shows 
how  he  rejoiced  at  the  changed  aspect  of  missionary 
work,  and  how  sanguine  he  felt  in  r(\gard  to  the 
great  Christian  movement  now  making  itself  felt 
in  China. 

"Owing  to  money  that  he  had  invested  when  in 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  51 

business,  he  was  never  entirely  dependent  upon  the 
salary  he  receivc^d  from  the  mission,  and  many 
times  gave  proof  of  the  entire  absence  on  his  part 
of  the  spirit  of  self-seeking.  At  one  time  he  had 
advanced  the  mission  the  sum  of  taels  1,000 ;  when 
he  discovered  tliat  it  was  difficult  for  them  to  repay 
it,  he  canceled  the  debt.  At  another  time,  when 
ho  was  somewhat  incapacitated  for  work,  owing  to 
an  affection  of  the  throat,  he  voluntarily  relin- 
quished his  salary  for  a  year.  When  he  discovered 
that  some  of  the  Chinese  in  the  employ  of  the  mis- 
sion felt  grieved  at  his  receiving  higher  pay  than 
any  other  native  worker,  of  his  own  free  will  he 
requested  to  have  his  salary  reduced." 

When  St.  John's  College  was  founded,  at  Shang- 
hai, Mr.  Yen  was  called  to  serve  on  the  faculty. 
For  eight  years  he  was  associated  with  the  work  of 
this  college,  and  had  a  part  in  the  training  of  many 
who  are  now  in  the  ministry  of  the  church.  The 
introduction  of  English  into  the  curriculum  was 
owing  to  his  advice,  and  all  through  the  history  of 
the  college  he  was  always  a  warm  supporter  and  a 
wise  counselor.  He  was  admirably  fitted  to  be  a 
teacher.  In  fact,  his  education  rendered  this  line 
of  work  more  congenial  to  him  than  that  of  an 
evangelist. 

After  eight  years  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Church  of  Our  Saviour.  Here  he  labored  for 
the  last  twelve  years,  residing  in  the  rectory  ad- 
joining the  church.  While  in  Shanghai  he  became 
associated  with  many  projects  for  the  evangeliza- 


52  Illustrious  Chimose  CiiiusTL\iS'S. 

tion  and  enlightenment  of  his  countrymen.  He 
was  prominent  in  several  Christian  movements, 
such  as  the  Anti-opium  ISociety,  the  Christian  En- 
deavor, and  the  Chinese  Tract  Society,  and  Avas 
looked  up  to  by  Christians  of  all  the  Protestant 
denominations  as  one  of  their  great  leaders. 

He  did  a  great  deal  of  valuable  literary  work. 
He  did  valuable  work  on  the  Prayer  Book,  in  the 
Chinese  literary  style,  and  also  translated  various 
theological  treatises.  He  also  translated  Spencer's 
book  on  education,  Haven's  "Mental  Philosophy," 
and  other  works.  Deeply  impressed  with  the  in- 
adequacy of  primary  books  in  Chinese,  he  ex- 
hausted his  ingenuity  by  first  getting  out  a  series 
of  Chinese  characters,  for  beginners.  For  more  ad- 
vanced pupils  he  prepared  the  ''Ladder  of  Learn- 
ing/' in  three  volumes,  and  compiled  ''A  History 
of  China  for  Schools."  Besides  numerous  tracts, 
he  got  out  ''An  Outline  of  Christian  Doctrine,"  in 
two  volumes.  To  show  that  his  literary  work  was 
not  unappreciated  by  the  Chinese,  I  have  heard  it 
remarked  that  "no  library  is  complete  without  Mr. 
Yen's  translations." 

During  the  great  activity  of  the  Anti-opium  So- 
ciety in  1894,  when  Sir  Thomas  Brassey  was  ap- 
pointed head  of  a  commission  to  India  to  inquire 
into  the  harm  and  good  (?)  of  the  opium  traffic, 
Mr.  Yen  was  invited  to  go  to  England  and  expose 
the  direful  consequences  of  the  baneful  habit  which 
he  had  himself  witnessed  in  China,  thus  appealing 
directly  to  the  English  people  from  the  accursed 


CHURCH  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR,  SHANGHAI,  CHINA. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  55 

victims.  He  accepted  the  call  most  willingly, 
thougli  it  entailed  on  him  a  severe  mental  exertion 
and  a  tax  on  his  physical  strength.  He  was  warmly 
welcomed  everywhere,  and  even  in  university 
towns,  where  the  element  is  as  a  rule  boisterous, 
his  discourses  were  politely  listened  to. 

He  crossed  the  Atlantic  on  completing  his  mis- 
sion in  Great  Britain,  and  lectured  throughout  the 
East  and  South  of  the  United  States  on  the  church 
in  China.  In  the  spring  of  1898,  when  the  Em- 
peror, Kwang  Hsu,  was  first  converted  to  ideas  of 
reform,  a  prominent  missionary  was  entrusted  by 
his  Majesty  to  engage  a  tutor  of  English.  His 
Majesty  emphasized  the  fact  that  only  a  Chinese 
was  acceptable.  The  missionary  came  to  Shanghai, 
called  on  Mr.  Yen,  and  stated  his  erranrl.  It  was 
no  doubt  a  great  honor,  which  he  unfortunately  was 
compelled  to  decline.  His  reasons  were,  first,  the 
time  foT  introducing  English  into  his  Majesty's 
course  of  education  had  not  arrived,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  desire  of  the  Emperor  would  be 
checked  or  short-lived;  second,  he  could  not  leave 
his  mission.  A  third  reason  was,  perhaps,  the  fact 
that  he  was  not  born  to  be  a  mandarin.  Essentially 
democratic  in  his  notions,  it  may  safely  be  asserted 
that  life  would  be  a  torture  to  him  if  he  had  to 
kneel  three  times  and  kowtow  nine  times  whenever 
he  came  into  the  presence  of  the  Son  of  Heaven ! 

His  health  began  to  fail  after  his  trip  around 
the  world.  He  passed  quietly  away  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years,  in  1898.     He  received  the  holy  com- 


56  Illuistiuuu«  Ciiine^^e  Chuistians. 

munion  with  all  liis:  family,  shortly  before  he  died. 
A  day  before  his  death,  when  he  was  almost  uncon- 
scious, a  friend  whispered  in  his  ear,  ''Trust  in 
God,"  and  his  face  immediatel}-  lighted  up;  raising 
his  clasped  hands,  he  muttered  something  as  much 
as  to  sa}^,  ''I  know  that  Avell,  thank  God.'' 

One  of  Mr.  Yen's  strongest  characteristics  was 
his  sense  of  justice.  In  the  case  of  the  police 
roughly  treating  AYlieelbarrow  coolies,  or  other 
harmless  people,  he  often  interfered  to  secure  re- 
dress. 

He  worked  hard  to  secure  for  Chinese  the  right 
to  sit  on  the  Municipal  Council  of  Shanghai.  And 
also  the  right  to  an  entrance  to  the  Public  Garden®. 
In  the  latter  case  there  was  eventually  set  apart 
another  garden  for  the  use  of  Chinese. 

Another  of  his  characteristics  was  his  self-re- 
spect. He  would  not  force  himself  among  people, 
but  when  he  was  properly  invited  he  expected  to  be 
treated  with  adequate  respect.  He  was  methodical 
and  systematic.  He  rose  and  retired  at  a  certain 
hour. 

His  view  of  the  spread  of  Christianity  in  China 
was  not  optimistic,  but  hopeful.  In  response  to  an 
attack  upon  missions,  missionaries  and  their  con- 
verts {^'Def  €71810  Pop  nil  ad  PopuJum^-),  among 
other  things  he  said :  ''For  myself  I  do  not  expect 
any  sudden  evangelization,  but  it  is  not  to  be  aban- 
doned on  that  account.  The  present  is  the  time  for 
turning  up  the  sod ;  the  sowing  and  harvesting  will 
surely  come  in  time  as  they  have  in  the  West." 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  57 

As  to  the  writer's  attack  on  the  methods  of  the 
missionary,  charging  the  church  with  only  being 
able  to  receive  the  poor  and  ignorant,  he  answers : 
"This  is  true  only  in  part;  for  as  in  the  apostolic 
days,  in  Thessalonica  and  Berea,  so  now  in  China, 
while  some  converts  are  poor  and  ignorant,  many 
are  of  the  middle  class,  and  honorable  men  and 
women  are  not  a  few.  In  Shanghai,  which,  by  the 
way,  can  not  be  taken  as  a  fair  representative  as 
regards  education,  there  are  four  ^B.  A.'s'  out  of 
a  Protestant  membership  of  five  hundred.  As  re- 
gards the  vicious  and  outcasts,  the  church  did  not 
in  the  first  place  receive  them  nor  afterwards  re- 
tain them  as  siwh^  but  as  willing  to  lead  better 
lives." 

The  rectitude  and  justice  of  his  character  mani- 
fested themselves  when  he  was  a  mere  lad.  One  of 
his  schoolmates  tells  us  that  "in  the  ^fifties'  there 
were  between  sixty  and  seventy  boys  in  that  mis- 
sion school.  They  messed  together  in  a  large  room 
with  eight  boys  at  each  square  table.  A  large  tub 
of  hot  rice  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
and  each  boy  with  his  bowl  might  take  a;s  much  of 
it  as  he  pleased.  But  the  allowance  of  pork,  fish 
and  vegetables  on  the  table  must  first  be  divided 
into  eight  portions  before  they  could  fall  to,  other- 
wise the  voracious  eaters  might  gobble  up  half  the 
good  things  before  the  modest  ones  were  ready  to 
bring  their  chop-sticks  into  play!  The  ^carver'  no 
one  wished  to  be,  because  there  were  always  some 
dissatisfied  as  to  the  equitableness  of  the  division, 


58  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

and  besides,  ^Who  maketli  you  the  ''carver"?^  Then 
Yen  slammed  the  table  by  way  of  calling  attention, 
and  said,  'I  propose  that  each  of  the  eight  at  this 
table  shall  serve  as  carver  one  day  by  turn,  and  he 
shall  have  the  remaining  eighth  part  after  the  seven 
have  all  had  their  pick  I'  By  this  arrangement  the 
carver  must  deal  fairly  and  none  could  grumble. 
The  plan  was  adopted  and  ever  after  carried  out.'' 

It  has  been  truly  said  of  Mr.  Yen  that  ''he  was  a 
faithful  .servant  of  his  great  Master.  He  was  true 
to  his  friends,  loving  to  his  family  and  kind  to  all. 
He  was  a  patriotic  Chinaman.  He  was  fond  of 
reading,  and  was  well  abreast  of  the  great  questions 
of  the  day.  He  enjoyed  a  conversation  on  the- 
ology or  science.  He  was  acquainted  with  the  ideas 
and  arguments  that  are  stirring  the  ranks  of  the 
orthodox,  but  he  was  firm  in  his  faith  and  consist- 
ent in  his  teaching. 

"His  life  was  in  every  sense  a  heroic  one.  The 
great  qualities  that  seemed  to  stand  out  pre-emi- 
nently were  self-sacritice,  bravery,  sincerity  and 
faith.  He  gave  up  much  for  the  cause  of  Christ; 
he  boldly  spake  the  truth  in  regard  to  his  country 
and  the  moral  needs  of  his  countrymen.  His  faith 
in  God  was  simple,  strong  and  childlike.  We  can 
not  see  now  all  the  results  of  the  life  he  led  and  the 
work  he  did,  but  we  know  the  world  is  richer  from 
his  having  lived,  and  that  his  lif(^  has  done  more 
than  we  can  measure  for  the  advancement  of  the 
kingdom  of  Cod  in  China. 

"W.  AV.  Yen." 


PENG  LAN  SENG. 


REV.  GRIFFITH  JOHN,  D.  D. 


REV.  C.  G.  SPARHAM 


CHAPTER  V. 

Peng  Lan  Seng, 
the  apostle  to  hunan. 

Of  the  eighteen  provinces  of  China,  Hunan  is 
not  the  least  interesting.  It  is  centrally  located, 
has  great  wealth,  and  contains  one  of  the  five  sacred 
mountains  of  the  empire. 

The  people  of  Hunan  are  perhaps  the  most  sin- 
cere, loyal,  and,  in  a  heathen  sense,  religious- 
minded  of  any  of  the  peoples  of  China. 

Marquis  Tseng  and  Tsung  Kwo  Fang  were  both 
natives  of  this  province.  The  former  (the  son)  was 
China's  most  noted  Minister  to  England,  while  the 
latter  (the  father)  is  regarded  by  the  Chinese  as 
the  greatest  man  that  has  arisen  in  the  empire  for 
two  hundred  years. 

When  the  great  Taiping  rebellion  overran  the 
country  for  so  many  years,  this  man  so  organized 
and  defended  his  province  that  it  was  their  proud 
boast  that,  of  all  the  provinces,  theirs  suffered  the 
least.  From  that  time  the  Hunanese  have  regarded 
themselves  as  the  men  of  iron,  the  backbone  of  the 
nation,  and  the  most  loyal  of  the  people. 

Missionaries  had  traveled  in  all  the  other  prov- 
inces for  many  years,  but  Hunan  maintained  its 
proud  isolation.  Dr.  Griflflth  John,  Mr.  John  Archi- 
bald, Mr.  W.  Darward,  and  others,  made  adven- 

61 


62  Illustrious  Chinese  Christlvns. 

turous  trips.  But  each  journey  was  like  a  forlorn 
hope,  full  of  danger  and  yielding  little  permanent 
results. 

Changsha,  the  capital,  was,  of  all  places,  the  most 
jealously  guarded.  And  it  was  here  that  Peng  Lan 
Seng,  the  ^^Apostle  to  Hunan,''  was  born,  and  here 
he  grew  up.  He  had  a  brother,  Shao  Ling.  The 
lads  were  greatly  attached  to  each  other,  and  both 
to  their  mother,  a  woman  of  ability  and  strength 
of  character. 

Peng  gives  this  evidence  that  he  was  a  sincere 
idolater.  The  Chinese  have  a  theory  that  the  gods 
are  especially  pleased  if  one  burns  his  own  flesh 
instead  of  incense.  A  steel  skewer  is  thrust 
through  the  skin  of  the  arm.  To  this  a  heavy  can- 
dle and  holder  are  suspended  so  that  the  flame 
comes  just  below  the  arm.  In  this  painful  position 
the  man  walks  for  miles  from  one  temple  to  an- 
other, Avithout  giving  any  trace  of  pain. 

Peng  passed  through  this  ordeal  more  than  once. 
When  his  school  days  were  over  he  was  apprenticed 
to  an  architect,  and  worked  at  the  trade  until 
twenty  years  old.  This  afterward  proved  of  great 
value  to  him  and  the  mission. 

With  the  development  of  manhood,  however,  he 
felt  that  his  trade  no  longer  satisfied  him.  He  gave 
it  up  and  entered  the  army.  He  was  soon  on  the 
start'  of  the  Governor.  Here  he  gained  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  Chinese  affairvs — legal  and  offi- 
cial— and  learned  to  ''I'ead  men.''  A  fcAv  years 
later  he  came  with  liis  mother  and  brotlier  to  Han- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  G3 

kow.     Through  lending  money,  trading  and  dab- 
bling in  law,  Peng  made  a  good  living. 

The  Chinese  are  always  clannish.  So,  in  Hankow 
there  was  the  "Ilunan  Quarter."  Near  this,  in  the 
Kia  Kiai,  is  one  of  the  chapels  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society.  And  while  the  Hunanese  at  home 
are  so  hostile  to  Christianity,  away  they  are  among 
the  most  willing  listeners  to  ^'the  doctrine." 

Mr.  Peng  was  some  time  in  the  town  before  he 
found  his  way  to  the  chapel.  But  he  soon  began 
to  attend  daily,  and  evidently  was  intensely  in- 
terested. Our  attention  was  soon  drawn  to  him. 
He  sat  up  in  front.  He  was  fairly  tall,  well  dressed 
and  gentlemanly  in  his  bearing.  The  native  evan- 
gelist, Mr.  Wei,  invited  him  to  his  home  and  taught 
him  privately  the  way  of  life. 

Mr.  Peng  had  many  diflSculties  to  face.  Not  only 
were  all  the  ideas  which  he  regarded  as  certainties 
in  the  spiritual  world,  passing  away,  and  new 
truths  taking  their  place,  but  he  knew  that  perse- 
cution awaited  a  change  of  faith.  His  mother  would 
reproach  him  bitterly,  and  he  loved  and  revered  his 
mother.  Besides,  he  was  making  a  good  living — 
largely  by  loaning  money  to  persons  engaged  in  evil 
practices.  But  he  saw  that  to  go  on  taking  this 
interest  would  make  him  a  partner  in  crime. 

He  sought  and  received  much  advice,  especially 
from  the  native  evangelist,  Mr.  Wei.  Step  by  step 
he  fought  his  way  through  these  difficulties,  and  at 
last  presented  himself  for  baptism.  On  account 
of  his  past  life  we  felt  compelled  to  tell  him  to  wait. 


64  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

Another  month  passed;  again  the  church  meet- 
ing drew  near,  and  again  he  was  asked  to  wait. 
This  was  a  heavy  blow  to  a  man  who  had  usually 
carried  everything  before  him.  He  now  carefully 
reviewed  his  whole  life,  and  resolved  that  no  finan- 
cial or  other  considerations  should  stand  between 
him  and  church  membership.  He  resolved  not  to 
write  up  law  cases,  as  they  frequently  involved  him 
in  treachery  and  lying.  As  to  money,  where  he 
could  collect  the  principal  he  would  do  so,  but  to 
lose  his  loans  rather  than  to  remain  a  "partner 
in  crime." 

Mr.  Peng  was  very  anxious  during  the  days  pre- 
ceding the  next  meeting  of  the  missionaries,  evan- 
gelists and  deacons,  which  body  recommended  the 
candidates  to  the  congregation  to  be  voted  on  for 
baptism.  On  the  wooden  platform,  or  "drying- 
stage,''  of  a  Chinese  house  he  gathered  a  number 
of  Christians  for  a  prayer-meeting.  Peng  made  a 
solemn  vow  in  their  presence  that  whether  received 
into  the  visible  church  or  not,  he  would  be  faithful 
to  Christ,  come  what  might.  He  was  baptized  by 
Dr.  Griffith  John  a  week  later. 

From  the  first,  Peng's  Christian  life  was  earnest 
and  resolute.  He  attended  every  service,  and  gave 
all  the  time  he  could  spare  to  Christian  work. 
Almost  daily  he  was  in  the  Kia  Kiai  chapel  help- 
ing in  the  preaching.  He  visited  the  Hunan  men 
in  their  homes  and  tried  in  every  way  to  lead  them 
to  the  Saviour. 

He  always  carefully  prepared  for  my  Bible  class 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  65 

on  Thursday  evenings.  He  afterwards  said  he  was 
often  afraid  lest  he  should  not  be  able  to  answer 
all  the  questions. 

In  Hankow  there  are  large  inns,  patronized  by 
Hunan  men  in  town  on  business.  Mr.  Peng  used 
to  visit  these  to  sell  books  and  preach.  When  I  was 
along,  our  reception  was  all  that  could  be  desired. 
But  one  time,  when  he  went  alone,  they  beat  him 
severely. 

Strangely  enough,  it  was  through  this  persecu- 
tion that  he  secured  his  wife.  There  is  little 
romance  enough  in  Chinese  life.  Weddings  are 
arranged  by  go-betweens.  But  somehow  Peng  had 
so  far  failed  even  by  this  means  to  secure  a  help- 
meet. But  on  the  day  he  was  beaten,  a  tea  and  silk 
merchant  from  Changsha,  named  Ma,  came  for- 
ward and  invited  Peng  into  his  room.  A  friendship 
sprang  up  between  them.  Ma  found  that  Peng  was 
not  married. 

He  told  him  of  a  relative  of  his,  a  young  widow, 
not  beautiful,  but  a  most  excellent  woman.  And, 
"If  you  wish  it,''  he  said,  "I  will  arrange  every- 
thing for  you."  The  wedding  took  place  in  the  Kia 
Kiai  chapel.  It  was  a  joyous  service.  From  the 
first,  Peng  felt  that  she  was  God's  good  gift  to  him, 
and  succeeding  years  have  shown  how  truly  this 
was  the  case.  She  was  intelligent,  humble-minded 
and  hard-working.  She  learned  to  read  and  became 
an  earnest  Christian,  and  anxious  to  help  forward 
the  cause  of  the  gospel.  And,  not  the  least  of  vir- 
tues, she  got  along  beautifully  with  her  mother-in- 


66  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

law.  Her  goodness  even  increased  the  harmony  of 
the  family. 

Within  a  few  months  of  his  baptism,  Peng's 
brother,  wife  and  mother  were  received  into  the 
church.  The  brother  died  in  about  a  year.  And 
l*eng  deeply  felt  another  death  that  occurred  at 
this  time— that  of  Mr.  Wei.  At  the  funeral  Mr. 
Peng  said,  "When  I  heard  that  he  was  dead,  I  felt 
I  coukl  not  stand  it;  he  ever  set  forth  the  way  of 
life  with  great  clearness,  and  it  was  he  who  led 
me  to  the  truth.'- 

The  work  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  in 
Hunan  has  developed  in  the  towns  on  the  Siang 
River,  which  rises  in  the  mountains  at  the  south  of 
Hunan  and  flows  due  north  and  enters  the  Tung- 
ting  Lake.  Tlie  most  important  of  these  cities  are 
Changsha,  the  capital,  Siang  Tan  and  Hengchow,  a 
city  of  prefectural  rank. 

In  1890  the  "Chou  Han"  (name  of  the  author) 
pamphlets  stirred  a  passionate  anti-foreign  feeling 
throughout  the  Yangtse  valley.  In  these  pamphlets 
our  Lord  was  represented  as  a  crucified  hog,  and 
Christians  as  goats.  Long  after  matters  had  sub- 
sided in  other  quarters,  this  hatred  of  foreigners 
burned  fiercely  in  Changsha,  from  whence  the  pam- 
phlets had  been  issued.  Should  a  man  come  from 
witliout  to  preach  in  Hunan,  \w  must  be  seized, 
doised  with  the  vilest  filth,  and  killed. 

This  feeling  was  thus  high  when  Mr.  Peng  made 
his  first  visit  to  Changsha.  He  went  on  business, 
but  determined  to  let  his  clansmen  know  that  he 


ILLUSTRATING  THE  LIFE  OfPEKG  IAN  SENfi. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  69 

had  become  a  Christian.  Their  rage  can  be 
imagined  when  they  found  that  no  arguments  could 
move  him  to  recant.  They  beat  him  and  threatened 
to  cut  him  off  from  the  clan. 

At  this  time  he  heard  of  his  brother's  conversion. 
And,  hearing  of  two  or  three  Christians  in  Chang- 
sha,  he  met  with  them  daily  for  prayer.  A  letter 
he  wrote  to  liis  brother,  concerning  his  trials  and 
happiness,  and  congratulating  him  upon  his  bap- 
tism, breathed  a  spirit  of  joyous  consecration  that 
was  truly  apostolic. 

For  some  time,  Mr.  Peng,  while  living  at  Hang- 
kow,  made  increasingly  frequent  visits  to  Chang- 
sha,  always  engaging  in  voluntary  Christian  effort. 
He  was  then  employed  as  a  colporteur,  and  made 
more  frequent  visits,  selling  Scriptures  and  books. 
He  made  up  parcels  of  religious  books,  and  left 
them  at  the  yamens  (official  residences  of  the  city). 

A  plot  was  laid  to  kill  him.  The  officials  had  the 
city  god  thrown  over  on  its  face  at  night,  and  then 
charged  the  crime  to  the  Christians — Peng  being 
the  leader.  If  he  could  have  been  found,  he  cer- 
tainly would  have  perished  from  mob  violence, 
but,  fortunately,  he  had  left  the  city  the  night  be- 
fore. The  day  for  the  opening  of  Changsha  was 
not  yet. 

In  the  more  remote  city  of  Hengchow,  however, 
a  remarkable  movement  was  taking  place,  and 
thither  Peng  wended  his  way. 

A  young  soldier  named  Wang  Lien  Chin,  in  the 
employ  of  a  mandarin  at  Hanyang,  had  been  con- 


70  iLLusTiiioT's  Chinese  ChrIvStians. 

verted  while  a  patient  in  Dr.  Gillisou's  hospital. 
He  was  a  favorite  with,  his  master,  hnt  when  tlie 
latter  heard  that  he  liad  entered  the  chnreh  he  was 
very  angry  and  called  him  a  madnmn.  He  saw  that 
he  must  leave.  He  wanted  to  earn  an  honest  liveli- 
hood, so  at  last  he  chose  tailoring.  And  as  it  was 
cheaper  living  there,  he  returned  to  Hengchow. 

He  used  to  sit  up  half  the  night  studying  his  New 
Testament.  He  algo  bore  witness  to  his  faith,  and 
several  of  his  companions  (who  at  first  called  him 
crazy)  came  under  his  spell.  So  that  when  Mr.  Peng 
went  up  to  Hengchow  he  found  a  group  of  inquirers. 
About  this  time  the  Scottish  Bible  Society  was  able 
to  open  a  depot  in  the  city.  The  time  was  ripe  to  es- 
tablish a  church  in  Hengchow.  And,  moreover,  an 
influential  member  of  the  gentry — Mr.  Siao — had 
sent  Dr.  Griffith  John  a  pressing  invitation  to 
come,  as  he  wished  to  open  a  school  for  English  and 
science. 

So  in  ]March,  1897,  Dr.  John  and  myself  started 
for  Hengchow,  to  open  work  in  the  hitherto  closed 
province  of  Hunan.  We  had  not  realized  before 
that  Hengchow  is  as  near  to  Canton  as  to  Hankow. 
We  did  the  430  miles  in  fourteen  days. 

We  were  all  enthusiastic,  and  none  more  so  than 
Mr.  Peng.  But  as  we  came  well  off  the  town,  we 
were  greeted  with  a  shower  of  stones.  It  soon  grew 
dark  and  we  lay  in  midstream,  where  all  the  con- 
verts came  to  see  us.  The  native  gunboats  would  do 
nothing,  and  the  magistrate  nuxde  the  ridiculous 
charge  that  he  could  not  keep  order. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christl\ns.  71 

We  dropped  downstream,  and  sent  Peng  and  Mr. 
Hiung  to  reason  with  the  officials.  Mr.  Peng's 
power  never  showed  to  better  advantage.  He  knew 
the  legality  of  his  cause,  and  was  tully  convinced 
that  God's  time  for  opening  up  Hunan  Province 
had  come.  He  argued  so  well  that  the  officials 
began  to  think  they  had  made  a  grave  mistake. 
The  mob,  meantime,  had  rioted  the  Bible  Society 
depot. 

On  the  evening  of  April  6  we  had  a  remarkable 
experience.  Fourteen  candidates  came  forward  for 
baptism.  Seeing  the  state  of  affairs,  Ave  advised 
them  to  wait.  But  they  could  not  be  dissuaded. 
They  were  prepared  for  persecution  and  suffering. 
Their  testimony  was  satisfactory,  their  character 
good.  They  had  counted  the  cost.  What  could  we 
do  but  receive  them?  So,  after  a  short  service, 
they  were  baptized.  There  were  mutual  congratula- 
tions, and  then  a  feast.  There  was  genuine  Hunan 
heroism  in  their  joy  in  the  midst  of  anxiety. 

Mr.  Peng  now  came  to  Hankow,  and  returned 
with  his  wife  and  mother  to  Hengchow.  They 
had  caught  his  enthusiasm  for  the  spread  of  the 
gospel.  A  house  was  rented  and  regular  work  was 
instituted. 

Then  he  Avas  able  to  purchase  a  house  for  the 
London  Missionary  Society.  And  the  work  went 
on  even  more  systematically.  It  was  months  before 
he  could  persuade  them  to  put  the  official  seal  to 
the  deed  for  the  property,  but  at  last  he  succeeded. 


72  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

On  the  very  next  day  was  a  great  Buddhist  festival, 
a  riot  and  the  destruction  of  the  building. 

Without  a  stamped  deed  there  would  have  been 
no  redress,  but  now  the  officials  came  forward,  and 
partially  paid  for  and  partially  guaranteed  the 
new  building,  which  was  built  according  to  plans 
drawn  by  Mr.  Peng,  after  buildings  he  had  seen 
in  Hankow. 

So  satisfied  was  the  magistrate  with  the  justice 
and  consideration  of  Peng  that  ever  after  he  treated 
him  as  a  personal  friend,  and  the  officials  generally 
began  to  regard  him  as  an  able,  just  and  discreet 
man — which  subsequently  had  important  issues. 

In  the  new  building  the  audiences  increased.  The 
band  of  inquirers  grew.  In  many  places  these  in- 
quirers began  to  secure  land  and  buildings  for 
worship.  At  Sin  Sz  Kia  these  good  people  erected 
a  pretty  chapel,  school  and  evangelist's  rooms,  at  a 
cost  of  |1,400. 

Peng,  during  all  this  time,  kept  the  missionaries 
thoroughly  informed  of  the  progress  of  affairs.  He 
often  has  to  act  upon  his  judgment  in  matters  of 
importance,  and  I  have  rarely  seen  a  man  more 
competent  to  do  so.  At  the  same  time  he  is  alwa^'S 
willing  to  accept  suggestions  from  others.  He  has 
sound  common  sense,  and  has  achieved  remarkable 
results.  It  is  this  combination  of  qualities  which 
has  enabled  him  to  do  so  great  a  work  with  so  few 
failures. 

When  we  come  to  examine  the  various  means  by 
which  God  has  wrought  to  open  the  great  province 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  73 

of  Hunan  to  the  gospel,  we  find  that  the  devoted 
life  and  wise  and  untiring  efforts  of  Peng  Lan  Seng 
deserve  a  very  prominent  place. 

In  1899  a  party  of  us  again  visited  Hunan.  At 
Siang  Tan  we  found  a  well-instructed  group  of  can- 
didates for  baptism,  who  had  been  prepared  by  a 
native  convert  who  himself  owed  all  he  knew  to 
Mr.  Peng.  At  Heng-Shan  there  was  a  well-ap- 
pointed chapel.  At  Hengchow  we  found  a  beautiful 
building. 

At  Sin  Sz  Kia  the  building  was  even  better.  At 
place  after  place  we  found  candidates  for  baptism, 
and  out  of  many  hundreds  we  selected  about  two 
hundred  to  receive  the  rite. 

The  respect  and  affection  in  which  Mr.  Peng  was 
held  was  an  eloquent  testimony  to  his  character. 
Through  his  good  n^me  and  influence  we  were  also 
able  to  purchase  a  house  at  Changsha,  the  most  bit- 
ter anti-foreign  capital  in  China.  Years  ago  the 
officials  here  had  sought  Peng's  life,  but  now  they 
said  that  if  we  purchased  a  house  they  would  ask 
as  a  special  favor  that  he  be  put  in  charge.  They 
said  they  knew  he  was  a  good  man,  and  if  he  was  in 
charge  they  would  know  all  was  right. 

The  work  at  Hengchow  progressed  rapidly  until 
the  summer  of  1890,  when,  as  a  bolt  from  the  blue, 
came  the  famous  edict  ordering  the  extermination 
of  Christians.  As  the  mob  gathered  around  the 
chapel,  Mr.  Peng  went  to  the  magistrate's  office  to 
ask  for  assistance.  In  answer  to  questions  as  to 
the  inconsistency  of  the  edict,  they  said  they  only 


74  ILLUSTKIOUS  CUINKSE  CuUISTlANS. 

knew  that  they  had  orders  from  l*ekiu<^.  But  they 
were  anxious  to  save  Peng.  They  hid  him  in  the 
prefect's  garden,  brought  him  old  clothes  for  a  dis- 
guise, and  got  him  off  to  a  boat,  \N'hither  they  had 
already  sent  his  wife  and  mother. 

Mr.  Peng  asked  them  why  they  went  to  so  much 
trouble  to  save  him.  They  said:  ''In  this  att'air, 
if  China  wins,  you  had  better  change  your  name, 
and  never  return  to  this  place.  If  China  gets  the 
AN'orst  of  it,  we  w^ant  yon  to  be  alive  to  help  settle 
up  matters." 

Every  church  building  in  Hengchow  prefecture 
— there  were  over  thirty — was  leyeled  to  the 
uround.  The  Christians  hid  in  the  mountains.  In 
fear  and  trembling,  keeping  in  hiding  as  much  as 
possible,  Peng's  party  reached  Hankow.  He  was 
grieved  to  hear  of  the  loss  of  property,  but  when 
he  heard  that  the  Christians,  almost  without  ex- 
ception, had  refused  to  recant,  he  was  filled  with 
joy,  and  confidence  that  the  work  would  soon  be 
reconstituted. 

He  was  not  mistaken.  By  August,  1901,  the  offi- 
cials had  made  financial  arrangements  to  rebuild 
the  chapels,  and  Mv.  Peng  was  happily  engaged  in 
superintending  their  re-erection.  The  Christians 
were  back  in  their  homes,  their  consecration  deep- 
ened by  their  experience. 

But  faithful  Wang  Lien  Chin  was  lost.  He  wan- 
dered hungry  on  the  hillsides  until  too  Aveak  to  ral- 
ly when  rescued.     Cheery,  hard-working,  faithful 


Illustriouis  Chinese  Christians.  75 

Wang-,  we  can  ill  ^pare  von  when  laborers  are  so 
few.    He  was  faitlifnl  to  the  end. 

Mr.  Pen"-,  at  fifty-three,  has  but  one  purpose  in 
life — the  evangelization  of  his  native  province;  and 
as  he  sees  a  strong  native  church  growing  up  in 
Hunan,  he  knows  it  is  the  day  of  salvation  for  his 
native  land.  C.  G.  Sparham. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Evangelist  Shee^ 
the  converted  story-teller. 

Evangelist  Shee  first  saw  the  light  at  Forty  Li 
Bridge,  a  village  in  Anhuei  Province,  Central 
China.  It  was  five  j^ears  before  the  noon  of  the  last 
century. 

The  old  house  with  its  mud  walls  and  thatched 
roof,  in  appearance  and  comfort,  scarcely  com- 
pared with  one  of  our  barns. 

His  remote  ancestry  was  more  than  respectable. 
His  great-grandfather  was  of  the  literary  class,  and 
enjoyed  distinction  in  the  dignity  of  official  posi- 
tion. But  his  parents  were  very  poor  and  humble, 
although  some  of  his  relatives  were  village  elders, 
or  '^leadmen,"  as  they  are  called.  These  men 
act  as  local  police,  and  have  considerable  influ- 
ence in  settling  disputes,  legal  troubles,  taxation, 
robberies,  and  arranging  weddings.  And  also  in 
arranging  and  controlling  funeral  and  idolatrous 
processions. 

It  appears -that  his  father  had  married  a  farmer's 
daughter,  but  in  time  of  famine,  and  pressed  by 
want,  they  had  wandered  -over  three  provinces  be- 
fore they  at  last  reached  the  cheaper  lands  in  the 
wheat-producing  regions  of  Shu-ea 

76 


EVANGELIST  SHI,  THE  CONVERTED  STORY-TELLER. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  79 

As  to  his  education,  at  the  a^e  of  eleven  he  was 
Initiated  into  a  country  schoolhouse,  where  the 
pedagooue  was  an  ohl  opium-eater.  This  apostle 
of  learning'  taught  characters — that  is,  Chinese 
hieroglyphics — smoked  his  Turkish  pipe,  sipped 
green  tea,  slept  over  his  desk,  used  the  rod  in  his 
waking  hours — or  moments — and  maintained  a' 
serious  dignity. 

At  the  end  of  six  months  the  bright,  good-natured 
and  sturdy  lad  had  to  quit  school  for  farming.  He 
was  then  about  twelve  years  of  age.  He  says  of 
those  days  that  he  was  a  good  joker,  a  bright  story- 
teller, and  an  indifferent  student.  Those  who  knew 
him  best  noted  a  genuine  character  which  seemed  to 
rise  above  his  surroundings.  This  is  shown  by  the 
confidence  placed  in  him  by  his  boy  companions. 
They  knew  him  to  be  strong  and  true,  and  that 
he  never  betrayed  a  trust.  He  was  brave  to  the 
point  of  recklessness,  but  gifted  with  good  judg- 
ment, which  made  him  a  good  leader  as  well  as  a 
true  friend. 

The  discipline  of  farm  life  is  always  valuable  to 
a  lad,  but  in  young  Sheets  life  it  proved  especially 
so.  The  country  was  full  of  robbers  and  banditti. 
His  bravery  must  defend  what  his  labor  could  win. 
He  slept  under  guard,  and  was  always  in  danger. 
This  keen  struggle  for  existence  sharpened  his 
senses  and  fostered  independence  At  the  same 
time  he  began  to  note  the  crushing  weight  of  unjust 
laws,  the  tyranny  of  unjust  taxation,  and  the  ter- 
rors of  officialdom. 


80  Illustrious  Chinese  Cihushans. 

The  monthly,  annual  and  biennial  examinations 
at  the  Provincial  capital  would  attract  thousands 
to  the  city.  Military  reviews  of  Chinese  braves  in 
their  archery,  horse-racing  and  weight-lifting  com- 
petitions gathered  Avhole  districts  into  the  walled 
emporium.  All  these  opportunities  were  improved 
by  him. 

He  was  also  fond  of  going  into  the  magistrate's 
court  to  listen  to  the  cases  on  trial. 

These  would  comprise  trials  for  assault,  robbery, 
divorce,  fraud,  land  quarrels  and  every  form  of  lit- 
igation. Chinese  courts  are  open  to  all.  The  hear- 
ing and  examination  go  on  in  public.  Silence  is 
kept  by  yamen  or  court  runners  briskly  handling 
canes,  while  sometimes  a  squad  of  soldiers  will 
parade  the  courtyard  during  the  proceedings.  Un- 
consciously young  Shee  was  storing  his  mind  with 
most  useful  observations,  facts  and  imagery.  Under 
such  conditions,  under  the  severe  discipline  of  pov- 
erty, and  every  form  of  hardship,  this  Chinese  youth 
grew  in  years  and  strength. 

And  although  so  miserably  poor,  his  parental  in- 
heritance can  not  be  ignored,  for  he  said  he  was 
taught  in  earliest  childhood  that  if  a  thing  was 
diflftcult  of  achievement,  that  was  reason  enough 
for  going  at  it  and  mastering  it. 

His  mother  died  when  he  was  twenty-two  years 
of  age.  It  was  about  the  time  of  the  close  of  the 
great  Taiping  rebellion  in  China.  He  said  of  her: 
"Her  light  went  out  in  darkness.  To  her  had  come 
no  knowledge  of  the  heavenly  way  other  than  the 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  81 

riot,  carnage  and  destruction  she  had  seen  follow- 
ing the  armies  of  the  rebel  chief." 

It  was  inevitable  that  he  should  become  satura- 
ted with  Confucian,  Buddhist  and  Taoist  traditions 
and  superstitions.  But  his  most  fascinating  occu- 
pation was,  seated  in  a  family  group  in  the  farm- 
yard on  a  summer  evening,  to  drink  in  the  wonder- 
ful recitations  of  the  Oriental  story-teller.  Largely 
til  rough  tliis  means  he  gained  a  wide  knowledge 
of  Chinese  arts,  traditions,  song  and  history — its 
statesmen,  heroes,  wars  and  intrigues.  This  knowl- 
edge was  to  serve  him  a  good  purpose  in  future 
years. 

His  oratorical  temperament  manifested  itself  at 
an  early  age.  From  village  teachers  and  others 
he  learned  native  sonnets,  history,  proverbs,  dramas 
and  songs.  He  himself  says  he  would  leave  the 
farm  and  field  and  get  off  into  the  street,  and  listen 
for  hours  together  to  the  fervid  eloquence  of  same 
Chinese  story-teller. 

So  great  was  the  spell,  indeed,  that  at  last  he 
determined  to  become  a  story-teller  himself.  He 
showed  aptness  in  his  new  calling.  He  accumu- 
lated a  vast  fund  of  stories.  Being  gifted  with  a 
fine  imagination  and  a  winsome  style,  he  developed 
into  a  brilliant  story-teller.  Seated  on  an  impro- 
vised daisi,  under  a  rustic  canopy  composed  of  sev- 
eral bamboo  sticks  and  a  covering  of  white  cloth — 
perhaps  on  a  stone  bridge  on  the  main  street  of  a 
village — he  recited  his  story.  Among  his  favorite 
stories  were  "The  Beggar  King  and  Slave  Girl  Em- 


82  Illustrious  Chinese  Cuuistians. 

press,"  "The  Three  Rivals,"  and  "The  Sorceress," 
all  famous  Chinese  stories.  But  alas !  for  some  time 
he  had  been  smokiui;-  opium.  He  now  found  that 
lie  wais  a  slave  to  the  baneful  drug.  And,  although 
earning  good  wages,  he  Avas  ragged,  weary  and  mis- 
erable. 

Sheekwei  Piao  (for  that  was  his  full  name)  first 
heard  the  gospel  about  1873.  At  first,  however, 
he  had  very  crude  conceptions  of  the  message.  He 
looked  upon  Jesus  as  a  great  wonder-Avorker,  and 
spoke  of  him  as  the  great  western  conjurer.  The 
stories  of  the  four  Gospels  he  incorporated  with  his 
own.  They  were  new  and  novel,  and  he  used  his 
liberty  to  modify  and  adapt  theuL 

A  little  later,  however,  he  met  a  native  Christian 
evangelist,  named  Chen.  They  were  greatly  at- 
tracted to  each  other.  Chen  Avas  a  preacher  of 
righteousness.  He  denounced  sin,  and  demanded 
faith  and  repentance.  Shee  knew  that  Chen  loved 
him,  but  he  w^as  of  a  proud  spirit  and  became  openly 
hostile.  These  questions  occurred  to  him :  Is  this 
a  new  religion?  What  about  ancestral  worship? 
Was  not  this  doctrine  introduced  by  the  "foreign 
devils"  who  had  invaded  Chinese  life  and  society? 

He  went  to  the  priests,  but  got  no  peace  of  mind. 
And  then  to  the  scliolars,  but  they  only  talked  phi- 
losophy. It  was  evident  that  the  arrow  of  convic- 
tion liad  struck  into  liis  lieart,  and  lie  was  being 
moved  into  the  religion  he  so  bitterly  opposed. 
His  old  stories  were  losing  their  hold  on  him.  The 
new  story  was  taking  hold  of  his  inner  life.     The 


Illustrious  Oiuxese  Ciiristlvxs.  83 

faithful  Chen  never  lost  sii»ht  of  liim,  in  prayer  or 
in  life.     At  last  love  conquered. 

But  what  of  the  terrible  opium  habit?  He  felt 
that  he  must  hreak  with  that  or  be  lost  forever.  It 
was  tightening  its  death-grip  on  him  every  day. 
He  knew  that  all  his  previous  struggles  had  been 
in  vain.  Time  and  again  the  opium  fiend  had  con- 
quered. This  was  to  be  the  final  ordeal.  Earth 
and  heaven  were  at  stake.  He  summoned  all  his 
patience  and  courage,  and  strained  every  nerve. 
Friends  advised  him  to  break  slowly.  He  knew 
this  would  not  do.  He  says  that  in  the  last  awful 
struggle  he  closed  with  his  demon  enemy  in  the 
arms  of  death.  For  seven  days  and  night,  in  burn- 
ing liunger,  thirst,  weariness  and  excruciating  pain, 
he  was  pleading  with  God  in  prayer.  He  found  he 
had  an  added  strength.  At  last  the  Lord  gave  de- 
liverance, the  light  broke  in,  and  the  captive  of 
years  was  free. 

From  that  day  he  grew  in  grace,  knowledge  and 
power.  He  was  baptized  by  Dr.  W.  E.  Macklin  in 
Nankin.  Gathering  a  quantity  of  Christian  liter- 
ature, he  retraced  his  steps  to  his  old  home  north 
of  the  river.  But  this  time  he  had  a  new  story  to 
tell. 

The  new  story  did  not  gain  him  so  much  applause 
as  the  old.  In  many  of  his  old  haunts  he  was  visited 
with  reproach  and  scorn.  Proud  Confucian  stu- 
dents debated  with  him  in  cynical  pride.  But  he 
threw  all  his  native  and  acquired  powers  into  the 
new  work  for  God  and  humanity.     With  intense 


84  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

fervor  and  with  a  force  and  eye  whose  expression 
was  an  irresistible  persuasion,  he  proclaimed  the 
gospel  of  redeeming  grace  to  those  to  whom  no  tid- 
ings of  Him  had  ever  come. 

Prom  that  time  his  intense  zeal  has  never  lagged. 
With  extraordinary  faithfulness  and  constancy  he 
has  performed  all  the  manifold  duties  of  an  evan- 
gelist. His  native  ability,  literary  taste,  imagina- 
tion and  wonderful  memory  make  large  amends  for 
the  lack  of  a  collegiate  training,  while  his  inde- 
pendence and  strength  of  character  are  rarely 
equaled  among  any  class  of  men.  He  has  the  unre- 
served confidence  of  the  whole  church,  native  and 
foreign. 

Evangelist  Shee  has  been  severely  tried  and  not 
found  wanting.  At  Chu  Cheo  the  Foreign  Christian 
Mission  had  purchased  some  property.  Although 
the  affair  seemed  to  be  settled  in  the  regular  way, 
the  officials  seemed  inclined  to  make  something 
more  out  of  it.  Without  cause,  Shee  was  brought 
before  the  magistrate,  who  angrily  roared  at  him, 
"Why  did  you  forsake  the  traditions  of  the  fathers 
and  follow  the  strange  religion?  How  is  it  you 
have  deigned  to  help  these  barbarians?  Have  you 
anything  to  say?"  Shee  raised  his  head  and  re- 
spectfully said,  "Great  and  honorable  ruler,  it  is 
in  your  power  to  hear  of  this  doctrine,  and  little 
brother  humbly  bowing  before  you  will  even  at- 
tempt— "  "Strike  him  on  the  mouth,"  called  out 
the  enraged  official.  One  of  the  secretaries,  how- 
ever, raised  his  hand,  stopping  the  soldier  from  exe- 


Illustrious  Ciiinkse  Christian^.  85 

cuting  the  order,  while  he  spoke  something  in  the 
offieiaPs  ear.  The  magistrate  reflected  and  said, 
*'Go  your  way,  mean,  unworthy  patriot,  and  per- 
haps in  later  days  I  will  call  for  you  again." 

During  the  riots  of  1891  he  showed  most  com- 
mendable tact  in  dealing  with  hostile  mobs.  On 
long  journeys  to  inland  cities  he  has  exhibited  both 
experience  and  caution,  in  many  instances  preserv- 
ing the  workers  from  open  violence. 

After  years  of  training  he  also  assumed  pastoral 
duties.  In  this  relation  he  has  proven  eminently 
satisfactory.  He  has  never  had  charge  of  a  work 
that  did  not  prosper  under  his  care.  At  a  village 
called  Yu-Ho-Tsz,  there  was  no  church  building. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shee  literally  built  a  church  with 
their  own  hands.  Mrs.  Shee  cut  the  grass  from  the 
hills  for  thatching  the  house,  while  Mr.  Shee  did 
most  of  the  carpenter's  work.  The  walls  were  made 
of  clay  battened  down  with  straw,  and  a  fairly  sub- 
stantial and  purely  native  structure  was  ready  as 
a  house  of  worship. 

Not  only  so.  His  practical  benevolence  has  taken 
the  turn  of  establishing  a  "farm  colony"  entirely 
with  native  funds. 

Most  glorious  fruit  followed  years  of  patient  sow- 
ing. It  was  in  1899  that  the  audiences  began  to 
notably  increase.  Very  soon  every  Lord's  Day  wit- 
nessed additions  to  the  church.  In  some  districts 
the  idols  were  cast  down  and  destroyed,  and 
heathen  customs  abolished,  little  field  temples  aban- 
doned, and  whole  communities  became  deeply  inter- 


8(i  iLLrsTRiors  rnixESE  rninsTiANS. 

ested   in   the    Christian    faith,    while   scores   were 
gathered  into  the  visible  church. 

Evangelist  Shee  is  a  charming  co-worker.  He 
has  wit,  good  nature  and  common  sense.  And  no 
trait  is  more  marked  than  his  humility.  He  is  often 
chosen  as  chairman  of  Chinese  conventionSj  and 
presides  with  grace,  tact  and  dignity. 


REV.  Y.  T.  ZIA. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Rev.  Y.  T.  Zia, 
a  noble  pioneer. 

The  greatness  of  some  men  is  proclaimed  by  the 
noise  and  stir  which  they  produce,  while  in  others 
a  force  equally  great  moves  in  a  silent  but  mighty 
undercurrent  which  may  not  come  to  the  surface 
till  years  after  the  men  themselves  have  passed 
away. 

The  life  of  Mr.  Zia  was  of  the  latter  type.  Noth- 
ing showy  or  pretentious ;  no  awe-inspiring  display 
of  wisdom  or  eloquence;  no  mighty  cataract  with 
its  rush  and  roar;  but  a  quiet,  strong,  steady  flow 
of  vital  religious  influence,  the  force  of  which  is 
yet  only  beginning  to  be  appreciated. 

To  rightly  appreciate  such  a  life,  the  reader  must 
not  fail  to  view  it  in  its  proper  environment.  Let 
him  remember  that  it  is  the  story  of  a  man  who 
lived  in  an  age  and  a  land  far  more  unfavorable 
to  godliness  than  that  which  produced  Abraham 
or  Moses:  a  land  in  which  thousands  of  years  of 
superstition,  demonology  and  idolatry  have  left 
almost  no  trace  of  truth  on  which  to  base  a  religious 
conviction,  capable  of  reforming  the  life:  the  story 
of  a  man  who,  until  he  was  thirty,  never  heard  of 
the  one  true  God. 


90  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

That  a  man  could,  amid  such  surroundings,  be 
transformed  into  such  a  character  as  Mr.  Zia  be- 
came, shows  conclusively  that  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  as  sufficient  for  the  salvation  of  China  as 
of  any  other  sin-cursed  nation. 

Zia  Ying  Tong  was  born  in  Ningpo  in  1825,  of 
'^poor  but  respectable  parents.'-  The  father  died 
when  he  was  three  years  old,  and  his  brother  but 
a  year  or  two  older.  It  speaks  well  for  the  capa- 
bility of  his  mother  that  she  managed  somehow  to 
give  both  her  sons  a  fair  education,  and  they  showed 
their  appreciation  of  her  efforts  by  an  unfailing 
filial  ^affection.  Ying  Tong  was  also  duly  subject 
to  his  elder  brother,  who,  according  to  Chinese  cus- 
tom, succeeds  to  a  kind  of  paternal  guardianship 
and  authority  over  all  younger  members  of  the 
family. 

While  his  love  for  study  would  naturally  have  led 
Mr.  Zia  to  choose  a  literary  profession,  the  neces- 
sity of  earning  support  for  himself  and  mother 
turned  him  toward  a  business  career,  where  the 
income  promised  to  be  more  prompt  and  sure. 
Still,  his  studious  inclinations  led  him  to  associate 
w^ith  scholarly  men,  among  whom  he  had  a  number 
of  very  close  friends. 

Two  of  these  friends  became  converts  to  Chris- 
'tianity,  and  from  them  Mr.  Zia  first  heard  of  the 
new  and  strange  doctrines  that  were  being  pro- 
claimed by  teachers  from  distant  lands. 

Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin  was  then  living  in  the  Fu- 
zin  Church  in  Ningpo,  and  opened  the  chapel  for 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  91 

daily  preaching.  To  him  young  Zia  went  to  hear 
about  and  discuss  this  new  religion.  Like  Luther, 
he  prepared  over  a  hundred  propositions  or  state- 
ments of  difficult  points  on  which  he  desired  light. 
Dr.  Martin  succeeded  in  answering  all  these  to  his 
satisfaction,  and  he  was  forthwith  convinced  that 
Christianity  was  the  true  religion. 

Intellectual  conviction  was  easy  enough,  but  now 
came  the  test  which  has  caused  such  a  host  of  prom- 
ising young  men  to  "go  away  sorrowful." 

If  people  of  Christian  lands  could  better  appre- 
ciate what  it  often  means  for  a  Chinese  to  accept 
Christianity,  they  would  cease  to  wonder  at  the 
fewness  c^  converts  and  be  filled  with  admiration 
and  praise  for  the  triumphant  grace  that  enables 
so  many  to  forsake  all  and  follow  the  lowly  Naz- 
arene.  Satan  has  by  no  means  neglected  the  oppor- 
tunity for  entrenchment  which  thousands  of  years 
of  undisputed  control  have  afforded. 

The  whole  structure  of  the  nation,  commercial, 
political,  social,  mental,  moral  and  religious,  is 
dominated  by  principles  that  are  antagonistic  to 
the  truth  of  the  gospel. 

Think  what  it  must  have  meant,  then,  for  this 
young  man  to  make  a  decision  in  favor  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  On  the  one  hand  was  the  easy  way  of 
'^established  usage,''  with  the  good  will  of  friends 
and  the  hope  for  a  peaceful,  prosperous  life;  on 
the  other,  he  faced  the  sacrifice  of  all  he  held  dear. 
He  would  be  counted  a  traitor  to  his  country,  false 
to  his  friends,  unfilial  to  his  ancestors,  and,  harder 


92  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

than  all,  yea,  harder  than  giving  up  life  itself,  was 
the  necessity  of  disobeying  that  dear  old  mother 
and  be  branded  as  an  ungrateful  son. 

A  decision,  against  such  overwhelming  odds, 
would  be  a  notable  victory  for  the  most  courageous 
soul  in  a  Christian  land ;  and  we  can  imagine  what 
heroic  qualities  it  required  in  a  young  Chinese 
whose  deepest  incentive  had  always  been  an  approv- 
ing public  opinion.  But  the  victory  was  not  Mr. 
Zia's,  nor  did  he  ever  claim  the  slightest  credit ;  on 
the  contrary,  till  his  dying  day  he  ceased  not  to 
praise  God  for  his  saving  grace. 

The  decision  made,  he  submitted  without  resist- 
ance to  the  persecutions  and  abuse  of  his  enraged 
brother.  Even  his  mother,  who  had  nurtured  him 
so  fondly,  now  treated  him  most  harshly,  and  went 
so  far  as  to  resort  to  whipping.  Zia  patiently  en- 
dured it  all  without  a  murmur,  or  word  of  re- 
proach, but  neither  force,  threats  nor  entreaty 
could  shake  his  purpose.  Having  put  his  hand  to 
the  plow,  he  never  turned  back. 

Soon  after  his  conversion  he  was  employed  for 
a  year  as  teacher  in  the  girls'  school  conducted  by 
Miss  Aldersy.  But  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  take  up  evangelistic  work,  and  was 
accordingly  sent,  with  his  young  wife,  to  a  newly 
opened  region  forty  miles  northwest  of  Ningpo, 
where  he  labored  most  faithfully  and  successfully 
for  about  three  years,' preaching  in  tea-shops,  rest- 
houses,  or  wherever  he  could  get  a  hearing.  At 
night  a  few  interested  ones  gathered  at  his  home. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  93 

and  often  they  talked  about  the  gospel  until  far 
into  the  night.  Not  a  single  village  in  the  whole 
region  was  omitted  in  this  faithful  evangel. 

The  visible  result  of  this  effort  was  about  twenty 
converts,  some  of  whom  are  still  living. 

In  1800  Mr.  Zia,  feeling  the  need  of  better  equip- 
ment for  his  work,  became  a  student  of  theology 
under  the  care  of  the  presbytery,  Rev.  Mr.  Rankin 
and  Rev.  Mr.  Nevius  being  designated  as  instruc- 
tors. In  order  that  he  might  the  better  pursue  his 
studies,  he  was  put  in  charge  of  a  chapel  in  Ningpo, 
and  gave  half  of  each  day  to  study  and  half  to 
evangelistic  work. 

As  Mr.  Zia's  entrance  into  the  Christian  life  had 
been  in  the  face  of  great  difficulties,  so  also  was 
there  to  be  a  time  of  testing  before  he  was  ordained 
to  the  holy  ministry.  God  always  tests  his  tools 
with  a  stress  proportionate  to  the  work  he  has  for 
them  to  do. 

When  the  "Long-haired  Rebels"  took  Ningpo  in 
1861,  Mr.  Zia  continued  his  preaching  in  his  chapel 
until  they  made  him  a  prisoner.  His  brother  had 
fled  to  the  chapel  for  safety  and  Avas  captured  at  the 
same  time.  They  endured  great  x>rivation  and  hard- 
ship while  confined  m  the  rebel  camp,  but  what 
made  Mr.  Zia  sick  at  heart  was  to  see  how  idola- 
trous and  sinful  was  the  worship  of  these  people 
who  professed  to  worship  the  true  God.  He  was 
convinced  that  participation  in  their  worship 
would  be  an  act  of  idolatry,  so  he  could  not  be 
guilty  of  it,  though  he  knew  full  well  that  his  re- 


94  Illustrious  Chinese  Chuistians. 

fusal  to  do  so  when  his  name  was  called  on  the 
roll  would  mean  certain  death. 

For  two  days  he  managed  to  be  absent  from  the 
roll-call,  but  he  dared  uot  liope  to  escape  long  in 
that  Avaj.  During  the  third  night  he  was  in  dire 
distress  of  soul  and  prayed  most  earnestly.  At 
last  peace  came,  and  his  concern  for  his  brother's 
salvation  filled  his  breast.  He  prayed  and  plead 
w^ith  him,  and  even  weeping,  besought  him  to  ac- 
cept the  Saviour.  As  the  time  for  worship  drew 
near,  he  said  to  his  brother,  ^'To-day  we  shall  be 
separated  forever,"  but  he  waited  in  calm  readiness 
for  the  end. 

It  happened  that,  in  calling  the  roll,  his  name, 
though  plainly  written,  was  overlooked.  While 
thankfully  accepting  this  respite,  he  clearly  saw 
that  unless  deliverance  came  the  following  day, 
he  could  not  hope  to  pass  the  Sabbath  without 
being  called  up  to  worship,  and  promptly  executed 
for  his  refusal. 

About  ten  o'clock  that  night,  he  heard  some  one 
calling  his  name^  and,  hurrying  out,  was  met  by 
two  missionaries  who  had  sought  for  him  daily 
since  his  capture,  and,  almost  discouraged,  were 
making  one  last  effort  before  giving  up  the  search. 
They  procured  the  release  of  Mr.  Zia  and  his 
brother  and  restored  them  to  their  waiting  friends. 

Whatever  explanation  of  chance,  or  what  not, 
others  may  find  for  these  timely  occurrences,  to 
Mr.  Zia  and  the  band  of  Christians  who  had  not 
ceased  to  pray  for  him  day  and  night,  it  was  a 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  95 

direct  answer  to  prayer.  Tlioii<>li  there  is  no  rec- 
ord of  the  fact  in  so'  many  words,  the  feeling  with 
which  Mr.  Zia  always  referred  to  this  deliverance, 
shows  that  it  was  a  kind  of  resurrection,  and  that 
from  this  point  forward  his  life  was  even  more 
fully  consecrated  than  before. 

A  refuge  having  been  opened  in  the  Foreign 
Settlement,  he  assisted  many  a  poor,  starving  one 
from  the  city,  and  was  also  used  in  company  with 
the  missionaries  in  securing  the  release  of  many 
innocent  prisoners  from  the  rebel  camps,  where 
death  would  probably  have  ended  their  misery. 

Mr.  Zia,  having  completed  his  studies,  was  li- 
censed by  the  presbytery  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and 
sent  into  the  west  part  of  the  Province  on  an 
itinerary,  which  lasted  several  months.  In  the 
fall  of  this  year  he  laccompanied  Dr.  McCartee  to 
Chefoo,  a  move  to  la  Chinese  almost  equal  to  going 
to  a  foreign  land. 

After  only  a  year  of  evangelistic  work  there,  the 
illness  of  his  wife  required  that  they  should  return 
again  to  Kingpo,  where  he  engaged  in  evangelistic 
work  until  1864,  when  he  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry. This  was  the  first  ordination  of  a  Chinese 
by  the  American  Presbyterian  Church,  and,  possi- 
bly, the  first  by  any  Protestant  denomination  in 
China. 

His  first  pastorate  was  the  San-poh  field,  north- 
west of  Ningpo,  where  his  evangelistic  efforts 
were  begun.  There  was  at  this  time  a  church  of 
aboue  seventy  members,  grouped  in  six  or  seven 


96  Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

centers  over  a  region  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
square.  After  four  years  in  this  pastorate,  he  was 
called  to  Zoug-yu,  with  practically  the  whole  of 
that  county  as  his  parish. 

For  thirteen  years  he  cared  for  this  flock  with 
diligent  and  self-sacrificing  watchfulness.  He 
often  returned  from  his  long  trips  weary  and  foot- 
sore, but  never  discouraged.  His  son,  then  a  lad 
of  tAvelve  or  fourteen,  tells  of  having  accompanied 
his  father  on  a  day's  trip  of  thirty  li  or  so.  It  was 
the  father's  habit  to  retire  to  a  quiet  hilltop  occa- 
sionally, for  prayer. 

During  this  pastorate  Mr.  Zia  was  one  of  a  com- 
pany sent  to  Shantung  Province  to  assist  in  famine 
relief.  The  long  overland  journey  w^as  most  ex- 
hausting to  one  of  his  years,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
dread  famine  fever  which  carried  off  several  of 
his  companions.  But  the  Lord  graciously  pre- 
served him  for  further  service  among  his  beloved 
flock. 

In  1882  he  turned  aside  from  the  pastorate  to 
take  charge  of  the  Ningpo  Academy  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  presbytery,  but  his  health  would  not 
stand  the  burden  of  his  position,  so,  after  a  year, 
he  returned  to  pastoral  work. 

Mr.  Zia's  next  work  was  as  a  pioneer  evangelist 
in  Nankin,  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
an  attack  of  asthma  compelled  him  to  return  to 
Ningpo  and  give  up  regular  preaching.  His  work 
in  Nankin  was  carried  on  against  great  obstacles, 


iLLlSTUIOrS  ClIIXESE  CHRISTIANS.  99 

and  through  many  persecutions,  which  he  faced 
with  soklierly  courage  and  patient  endurance. 

In  his  declijiing  years  he  occupied  a  chapel  in 
Ningpo,  where  he  conducted  Sabbath  services,  and 
did  such  evangelistic  work  as  his  strength  per- 
mitted. 

Even  those  closing  days  were  not  without  fruit, 
and  a  number  of  members  of  the  Xingpo  Church 
look  upon  Pastor  Zia  as  their  spiritual  father. 

On  the  12th  of  May,  1895  (Chinese  Fourth 
Moon,  twelfth  day),  just  forty  years  from  the 
day  of  his  baptism,  Pastor  Zia  finished  his  earthly 
service  with  a  glad  ''Thank  God,  thank  God,"  on 
his  lips.  That  peaceful  Sabbath  was  to  him  the 
beginning  of  an  eternal  Sabbath  of  joy  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Master  he  had  served  so  faithfully. 

The  sketch  of  such  a  life  would  not  be  complete 
without  some  illustrative  incidents  gathered  from 
his  fellow-workers  and  members  of  his  family, 
which,  without  the  medium  of  a  biogTapher,  give 
glimpses  of  the  man's  real  character. 

The  trait  that  stands  out  most  prominently  in 
his  life  is  his  fearless  tenacity  of  purpose — ^and 
that  a  single  purpose.  At  the  close  of  the  Taiping 
rebellion,  his  brother  secured  for  him  oflflcial  recog- 
nition and  reward  for  his  "rescued'  work.  Marks 
of  official  favor  and  insignia  of  rank  are  dear  to 
the  heart  of  every  Chinaman.  It  is  the  goal  of 
their  highest  ambition,  and  marks  a  successful  man. 

But  Mr:  Zia  promptly  declined  this  proffered 
reward,  saying  he  had  never  sought  earthly  honor 


100  iLLusTiuuujs  Chinese  Christians. 

or  preferment,  and  cared  nothing  for  them.  He 
desired  for  his  sons  no  higher  honor  than  to  be- 
come worthy  ministers  of  the  gospel.  When  one  of 
them,  after  finishing  hivs  school  course,  wished  to 
try  for  a  literary  degree,  the  father  discouraged 
him,  saying,  "The  Lord  chose  as  his  apostles,  men 
without  any  literary  distinction.  He  does  not  need 
your  literary  degree  to  make  you  a  successful  min- 
ister." It  is  a  pleasure  to  add  that  this  son  is 
now  one  of  the  most  successful  pastors  in  the 
presbytery,  and  the  secret  of  his  success  is  his 
dependence  solely  on  spiritual  means  to  reach  and 
move  the  hearts  of  men. 

All  his  preaching  was  Christocentric.  On  one 
occasion  when  some  women  left  the  chapel  before 
he  could  get  to  the  vital  part  of  his  message,  he 
followed  after,  and,  overtaking  them  on  the  street, 
urged  them  to  "remember  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God  who  came  from  heaven  to  redeem  lost  souls.'' 

His  religion  was  of  the  thorough,  everyday  kind, 
which  controlled  his  w^hole  life.  His  carefulness 
in  money  matters  was  remarked  upon  by  all  his 
friends,  and  his  scrupulous  honesty,  even  in  small 
affairs,  stood  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  dark 
background  of  questionable  shrewdness  which  char- 
acterizes the  Chinese  business  world.  On  several 
occasions  he  surprised  native  shopkeepers  by  re- 
turning small  amounts  of  cash  overpaid  him  in 
making  change. 

His  promise  once  given  was  sacred,  and  must  be 
fulfilled  at  all  costs,  if  in  any  way  possible.     His 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  101 

generosity  was  unfailing.  When  other  means  of 
assistance  failed,  he  has  been  known  to  give  some 
of  his  clothes  to  pawn,  and  thus  raise  the  money. 

A  kindness  done  him  was  never  forgotten,  and 
often  in  family  worship  was  there  earnest  prayer 
for  blessings  on  his  benefactors.  When  thinking 
of  the  favors  shown  him,  he  used  to  say,  "I  have 
no  means  of  repaying  the  kindness,  but  I  can  show 
my  gratitude  by  rendering  what  help  I  can  to 
those  more  needy  than  I" — always  present  are 
such,  in  a  heathen  land. 

He  had  an  uncompromising  hatred  of  sin.  He 
never  hesitated  to  rebuke  it,  even  at  the  risk  of 
losing  a  friend,  which  means  a  vast  deal  in  China, 
where  "face''  is  such  a  powerful  force  in  the  social 
world. 

Once,  when  one  of  his  parishioners  left  two  hired 
men  working  at  home  while  he  himself  attended 
service  on  the  Lord's  Day,  Pastor  Zia  would  hear 
no  excuse,  but  finally  offered  to  pay  their  wages 
himself,  and  insisted  that  they  should  stop  work; 
that  none  of  his  people  should  be  guilty  of  Sabbath 
desecration. 

His  oldest  son,  aged  twelve  years,  in  recounting 
the  events  of  a  visit  with  his  uncle,  mentioned  a 
beautifully  written  poem  which  they  showed  him, 
and  asked  him  to  read  before  the  ancestral  tablet. 
Upon  hearing  this,  the  father's  face  became  death- 
ly pale,  and  he  was  filled  with  consternation,  till 
assured  that  his  son  had  not  been  led  into  an  act 
of  idolatry. 


102         Illustkiots  Chinese  Ciikistians. 

He  was  a  hundred  li  from  Ningpo  when  news  of 
his  mother's  serious  illness  reached  him.  Setting 
out  at  once,  he  walked  all  night,  but  was  too  late 
to  see  his  mother  alive.  When  he  entered  the  room 
he  saw  two  candles  burning,  one  of  which  he 
promptly  extinguished,  saying,  ^^I  can  not  be  repre- 
sented in  any  idolatrous  rite."  x\t  the  funeral  ser- 
vice, when  an  ode  to  the  departed  spirit  was  read 
which  referred  to  the  members  of  the  family  as 
kneeling,  he  said  in  a  loud,  clear  voice,  ''Zia  Ying 
Tong  and  his  sons  are  not  kneeling."  When  his 
brother  and  friends  expostulated  with  him  for 
making  unnecessary  disturbance,  since  all  could 
see  he  was  not  kneeling,  he  replied,  ''But  there 
may  have  been  a  blind  man  in  the  audience.'' 

His  outspoken  opposition  to  everything  idola- 
trous impressed  all  who  knew  him,  and  so  consist- 
ently did  he  follow  out  that  course  that  he  was 
never  troubled  with  requests  for  contributions  for 
public  processions,  theatricals  and  the  like. 

Perhaps  no  view  of  a  man's  character  is  so  trust- 
worthy as  that  which  gives  unstudied  glimpses 
into  liis  home  life  and  the  way  he  impresses  himself 
upon  his  children.  The  feature  which  stands  out 
most  clearly  in  Mr.  Zia's  home  life  was  his  deep 
religiousness.  By  precept  he  taught  the  value  of 
Bible  study,  prayer  and  fasting.  He  saw  to  it 
that,  even  in  the  busiest  times,  private  devotions 
were  not  neglected.  It  was  his  constant  aim  to 
lead  every  member  of  his  family  into  that  same 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         103 

close  fellowship  with  God  which  brought  such 
rich  blessings  to  his  own  soul. 

While  his  sons  were  away  at  school,  each  letter 
he  wrote  them  contained  Scripture  references,  or 
quotations  from  godly  men,  well  suited  to  enforce 
his  exhortations  and  deepen  their  piety. 

Though  a  most  loving  and  considerate  father,  he 
was  a  strict  disciplinarian.  He  drew  up  a  set  of 
rules  with  penalties  of  so  many  blows  for  each 
transgression.  His  son  tells  of  an  instance  where 
the  father  and  son  were  weeping  together  as  blow 
after  blow  fell  till  the  full  number  had  been  given. 
What  a  beautiful  example  of  mingled  love  and 
justice.  Little  wonder  that  such  noble  training 
developed  noble  sons. 

One  of  his  fellow-workers  tells  of  having  seen 
him  slap  his  own  lips  severely,  when  he  had 
thoughtlessly  spoken  indiscreetly. 

Mr.  Zia's  desire  for  his  sons  was  fulfilled,  to  the 
great  joy  of  his  heart.  The  eldest  became  an  elder 
in  the  church,  and  assisted  in  evangelistic  work. 
The  second  was  installed  a  pastor,  and  the  youngest 
finished  his  theological  studies,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach  while  the  father  was  yet  living.  These 
two  latter  are  now  among  the  most  honored  and 
trusted  ministers  in  the  Presbyteries  of  Ningpo 
and  Hangchow. 

The  early  death  of  the  eldest  son,  who  left  a 
large  family  of  children,  was  a  severe  blow  to  the 
aged  father,  but  his  quiet  comment  was,  "He  has 
gone  to  heaven  before  me." 


104         Illustrious  Chinese  Christla^ms. 

On  another  occasion  he  was  heard  to  remark, 
"I  would  rather  hear  of  premature  death,  than 
that   one   of   God's  people   had   fallen    into   sin." 

Down  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  did  not  cease 
praying  and  working  for  the  conversion  of  his 
brother's  family. 

The  faithful  life  of  Pastor  Zia  was  not. cut  off, 
but  gathered  like  a  sheaf  of  well-ripened  grain. 
The  spiritual-mindedness  which  characterized  it 
was  .still  more  marked  toward  the  close.  When  he 
could  no  longer  go  to  hear  preaching,  he  greatly 
enjoyed  the  reviews  which  his  sons  would  bring 
back  to  him.  As  he  quaintly  put  it,  "The  old  bird 
used  to  gather  food  for  its  young,  and  now  the 
young  birds  feed  the  parent." 

Once,  when  asked  his  age,  he  replied,  "My  vain 
years  [a  form  of  polite  speech  in  Chinese]  are 
thirty."  He  would  then  explain  to  his  astonished 
hearers  that  at  the  age  of  thirty  he  was  "born 
again,"  since  which  he  had  had  no  "vain  years." 

He  used  to  say  to  his  family  in  the  closing  days, 
"Don't  mourn  when  I  die,  but  thank  God  for  re- 
deeming grace.  Death  is  more  blessed  than  life, 
for  then  I  shall  see  Jesus  and  all  the  friends  who 
await  me  in  heaven." 

A  dream  in  which  appeared  a  most  beautiful, 
quiet  garden  was  interpreted  by  him  as  an  assur- 
ance and  comfort  to  remove  the  last  vestige  of 
dread  of  the  "dark  valley." 

On  Friday  he  told  his  family  that  he  would 
leave  them  the  following  Sabbath,  and  his  word  was 


Illustiuous  Chinese  Christians.  105 

fulfilled.    Zia  Ying  Tong  fell  into  a  quiet,  peaceful 
sleep,  and  was  with  his  Lord. 

For  such  a  life  we  have  the  inspired  epitaph, 
"Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth;  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labors:  and  their  works  do  follow 
them." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Pastok  OhANGj 
OF   TUNGCHO. 

The  fairest  flower  springs  from  the  vulgar  mud. 
Pastor  Chang's  father  was  a  little  man  with  a 
weazened  face,  dwarfed  intellect,  and  cramped  af- 
fections. His  mother,  too,  was  a  woman  of  small 
brain  and  narrow  vision,  with  a  heart  filled  with 
superstitions  and  prejudices.  From  such  a  home 
was  to  come  the  beloved  pastor  of  our  Tungcho 
Church.  However,  the  woman  of  weak  intellect 
had  a  mother's  heart.  In  a  letter  just  received 
from  Miss  Lulu  E.  Chapin,  she  writes:  ''Chun 
Jung's  mother  was  mamma's  nurse.  Mamma  often 
noticed  her  crying,  and  when  asked  what  was  wor- 
rying her,  she  replied  that  she  had  a  small  boy  out 
in  her  country  home  who  had  little  care  and  missed 
his  mother.  Mamma  immediately  sent  for  the 
child,  and  let  her  keep  him.  He  was  an  unpromis- 
ing, sickly  looking  boy,  but  with  different  sur- 
roundings and  good  care  he  grew  stronger,  and 
developed  into  a  quiet,  good  boy.  As  I  think  of 
him  he  was  always  kind,  and  loved  animals,  and  he 
kept  pigeons  from  the  time  I  could  first  remember. 
Papa  uised  to  send  him  in  the  summer  outside  the 
city  with  the  cows,  for  he  knew  he  would  be  kind 

to   them."      She   adds   later:     ''Chun   Jung   will 
loe 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  107 

always  seem  to  me  like  an  own  brother,  for  he 
really  grew  up  iii  our  family."  Who  can  tell  how 
much  he  owed  to  the  love  and  training  in  such  a 
family? 

The  story  of  his'  life,  briefly  told,  is  as  follows: 
He  was  born  (1865)  in  the  village  of  Ta  Hsin 
Chuang,  three  miles  south  from  Tungcho,  was  early 
transplanted  to  Mr.  Chapin's  beautiful  home, 
entered  school  at  seven  years  old,  graduating  at 
seventeen.  Afterwards  he  took  a  seminary  course 
and  graduated  at  tAventy.  He  spent  four  years  at 
a  country  station  sixteen  miles  distant.  At  twenty- 
four  he  was  made  pastor  of  the  Tungcho  Church, 
where  he  labored  most  faithfully  for  ten  years  till 
the  end  came. 

As  a  child  Chun  Jung  had  a  handsome  face  and 
attractive  manners.  Indeed,  one  wondered  wheth- 
er there  was  enough  iron  in  his  blood  to  make  a 
strong  character.  Though  the  brightest  boy  in  his 
class,  it  was  with  hesitation  that  the  doors  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  were  opened  to  him.  Final- 
ly, however,  on  account  of  his  recognized  ability 
and  good  character,  he  was  received.  In  his  studies 
there,  he  was  always  faithful  and  thorough,  and 
gradually  developed  a  rare  power  of  close  analysis 
and  original  thought,  which  made  him  easily  the 
leader  of  his  class.  But  it  was  not  till  his  Senior 
year  that  a  great  blessing  came  to  him,  which 
lifted  him  into  a  new  life.  He  afterwards  described 
it  to  his  wife  as  something  sudden,  "as  though  a 
great,  thick  skin  had  sloughed  off  from  him,  and 


108         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

fallen  at  his  feet,  after  which  he  could  go  and  do 
and  bear  for  Jesus.' 

He  was  so  thoroughly  the  product  of  Christian 
training  that  when,  in  his  summer  vacation,  he 
made  an  evangelistic  tour  into  the  villages  around 
Tungcho,  he  had  a.  sudden  revelation  of  sin  and 
squalor  that  appalled  him.  At  the  prayer-meeting 
following  his  return,  he  gave  an  account  of  his 
journey.  We  listened  with  bated  breath  as  he  told 
how  from  childhood  he  had  grown  up  with  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  his  ideas  of  Chinese  life  and  charac- 
ter had  been  formed  from  what  he  saw  about  him. 
But  this  tour  had  taught  him  the  poverty,  wretch- 
edness, sin,  and  blinding  superstition  of  his  people. 
Great  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks  as  he  related 
how  startling  was  the  revelation.  "Oh!  we  are 
naked  and  poor  and  blind,  and  we  do  not  know  it. 
Who  can  save  us?  Only  God!  only  God!  But  we 
don't  want  him.  We  don't  want  Mm:'  God  be 
praised  that,  in  the  revelation  of  his  country's 
need,  he  received  also  the  revelation  of  Christ's 
great  love,  and  of  his  power  to  save.  The  above 
experience  only  deepened  the  desire,  and  fixed  the 
determination,  to  give  his  life  to  the  uplifting  of 
his  country. 

The  one  marked  thing  during  the  remainder  of 
his  course  was  that  he  was  intent  on  learning  the 
secret  of  winning  men  to  Christ.  His  mother  was 
already  a  Christian,  but  his  father's  one  thought 
seemed  to  be  to  save  every  possible  cash,  and  his 
stingy  soul  grew  smaller,  and  his  mind  still  more 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         109 

dwarfed.  It  did  not  seem  as  if  there  was  a  crack 
anywhere  for  the  entrance  of  spiritual  ideas.  But 
the  son  was  not  dismayed.  His  patience  in  teach- 
ing and  tenderly  persuading  his  father  was 
pathetic.  Finally,  the  soul  that  had  become  so 
dwarfed,  suddenly  shrank  back  at  sight  of  its  own 
image,  and  he  sank  down  on  his  knees,  and  besought 
the  Lord  to  save  him.  How  joy  gleamed  like  stars 
through  the  tear-filled  eyes  of  his  son,  when  he 
told  us  of  this  miracle.  Need  we  write  that  such 
an  experience  as  this  has  no  place  in  ordinary  • 
Chinese  life  and  thought?  And,  indeed,  it  is  not  of 
this  world.  For  the  son  it  showed  a  celestial 
training,  while  to  the  father  it  was  a  celestial 
birth. 

Pastor  Chang  deeply  felt  how  much  he  owed  to 
his  training  at  Tungcho.  After  going  out  on  a 
tour,  and  seeing  young  men  going  about  with  the 
manure  baskets,  acting  as  scavengers,  along  the 
country  roads,  he  has  been  heard  to  say  with  feel- 
ing, "I  should  be  carrying  a  manure  basket,  if  I 
had  never  heard  anything  better,"  and  he  was  pro- 
foundly grateful  for  the  new  life  and  the  broader 
vision  that  had  been  opened  to  him. 

After  leaving  the  seminary,  his  health  became 
poor,  but  he  grew  steadily  stronger  in  his  country 
station,  where  he  did  four  years  of  faithful  work, 
laying  the  foundations  of  the  Yung  Lo  Tien  Church. 
From  that  place,  although  the  youngest  of  our 
preachers,  he  was  called  to  be  our  pastor.  He 
would    hardly    be    called    an    eloquent    preacher, 


110         iLLusTiaous  Chinese  Christians. 

though  at  times  he  was  eloquent.  But,  being  in 
love  with  the  Bible,  and  having  right  habits  of 
study  and  prayer,  he  always  brought  his  congrega- 
tion a  helpful  and  original  and  uplifting  message. 
Alas  that  the  Boxers  destroyed  all  his  sermons  and 
journals!  He  was  also  a  most  faithful  pastor, 
keeping  unAvearying  watch  over  his  Hock,  while 
laboring  much  for  those  who  were  distinctly 
heathen. 

Passing  by  with  this  brief  mention  of  his  life- 
-work, we  wish  to  mention  a  case  of  church  disci- 
pline which  rocked  the  church  to  its  foundation, 
and  which  at  once  revealed  the  pastor's  deep  con- 
cern for  the  purity  of  the  church,  his  uncompromis- 
ing devotion  to  duty,  and  his  unflinching  courage. 
It  was  a  case  of  flagrant  though  secret  immorality, 
and  the  parties  were  some  of  them  related  to  his 
family,  while  one  was  a  trusted  helper,  and  a 
friend  from  childhood,  all  making  exposure  pecu- 
liarly difiicult.  But,  after  a  long  struggle,  he 
determined  to  meet  it.  He  knew  it  might  cost 
him  long-time  friendships,  his  reputation,  his  pas- 
torate, and  perhaps  his  ministerial  standing.  But 
the  sin  was  so  black,  a  cancer  eating  out  the  life 
of  the  church,  that  he  could  not  hesitate,  though 
it  should  cost  him  not  only  his  living,  but  his 
life.  This  decision  he  reached  after  consultation 
with  his  other  self,  not  overlooking  the  five  little 
boys  dependent  upon  him.  He  first  sought  the 
helper,  and  charged  the  sin  upon  him,  only  to  be 
met  with   angry  denial.     This   was  followed  by 


iLLusTKiors  Chinese  Christians.  Ill 

private  meetings  with  those  most  prominent  in  the 
work  of  the  church,  and  sides  were  taken  sharply. 
Sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  our  pastor  was  himself 
on  trial,  and  the  parties  accused  were,  after  all, 
innocent.  But  he  held  firmly  to  his  statement, 
declaring  that  he  knew,  and  that  others  knew,  it 
was  true.  Once  or  twice  during  the  progress  of  the 
case,  he  lost  his  splendid  poise,  and  allowed  his 
tongue  to  say  some  bitter  words.  But  the  circum- 
stances were  aggravating,  and  nearly  all  his  friends 
seemed  forsaking  him.  He  was  accused  of  jealousy, 
and  of  being  under  an  apron  government,  and 
listening  to  woman's  prattle  until  he  was  ready 
to  believe  anything.  None  but  those  nearest  to  him 
ever  knew  the  pain  he  suffered  from  the  estrange- 
ment of  those  he  loved. 

After  several  days  of  bitter  trial,  the  helper  in 
a  sudden  mood  of  penitence  confessed  his  sin,  the 
guilty  parties  were  excommunicated  and  moved 
away.  Then  came  the  revelation  of  our  pastor's 
integrity  and  nobleness.  The  experience  was  a 
lesson  in  respect  to  sin  and  church  discipline  never 
to  be  forgotten.  From  that  time  the  church  was 
preparing  for  the  marvelous  revival  which  came  to 
us  a  little  later.  But  the  pastor,  while  laboring 
with  untiring  zeal  to  prepare  the  way  for  such  a 
work,  was  not  to  witness  it.  Consumption  already 
had  its  grip  on  him,  though  we  did  not  know  it, 
and  this  severe  ordeal  had  sapped  the  last  remnant 
of  his  life  forces.  He  was  invited  to  the  sunny 
<!hamber  of  our  home  outside  the  city,  and  there, 


112         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

after  a  month  of  suffering,  bravely  borne,  he  fell 
asleep.  How  patient  and  beautiful  he  was  in  his 
illness !  How  grateful  for  every  care  given  him ! 
How  he  enjoyed  the  (piiet,  clean  room,  the  clean 
sheets,  the  daily  bath,  the  little  attentions,  in  all 
of  which  his  wife  was  so  faithful  and  tender. 
^^Dail}'  Light"  and  ^^Thomas  a  Kempis"  were  his 
constant  companions.  He  made  a  brave  fight  for 
life,  yet  when  he  learned  that  the  end  was  near, 
he  bowed  sweetly  to  the  Father's  will,  which  he 
had  learned  to  think  of  as  the  sweetest  thing  in 
life.  And  when,  by  his  bedside,  we  talked  of  heaven 
so  near,  and  of  friends  he  would  meet  before  we 
might  see  them,  he  listened  with  a  keen,  expectant 
interest.  The  wife  and  bairns  he  was  sure  would 
not  be  forgotten  by  the  good  Father.  It  seemed 
the  dying-bed  of  a  saint.  When  the  angel  Avith  the 
icy  fingers  was  feeling  for  his  heart-strings,  his 
wife  asked,  ^'Is  it  peace?"  With  a  beautiful  smile 
he  said,  ''Peace." 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PASTOR  CHANG. 

Self-respect.  This  was  a  very  noticeable  char- 
acteristic. A  man  must  have  a  proper  self-respect 
to  be  great.  This  was  happily  combined  with  real 
humility.  He  was  conscious  of  his  own  upright- 
ness, and  he  must  have  been,  to  some  extent, 
conscious  of  his  power.  W^hen  chosen  as  pastor, 
he  accepted  modestly,  yet  without  any  protest  of 
unfitness,  the  judgment  of  others.     He  never  apol- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         113 

ogized  when  taking  the  chief  place,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  was  never  self-assertive.  This  gave 
a  quiet  dignity  to  all  he  did,  and  helped  him  to 
be  a  pastor  in  his  own  home,  with  a  congregation 
made  up  partly  of  seminary  students  and  seminary 
graduates  older  than  himself. 

Honesty.  We  never  heard  of  his  trying  to  drive 
a  sharp  bargain,  or  making  a  cash  unlawfully,  or 
of  uttering  statements  which  were  not  wholly  true ; 
a  splendid  record  for  any  man.  Any  insincerity 
on  the  part  of  others  met  with  a  faithful  rebuke. 
His  integrity  was  publicly  and  right  royally  ac- 
knowledged b}"  manj^  in  the  revival,  which  followed 
so*  closely  on  his  death.  t)ne  of  his  closest  friends 
told"  us  how  he  had  cherished  hard  feelings  toward 
the  pastor.  Then,  suddenly,  turning  his  streaming 
eyes  to  heaven,  he  cried  out,  ^Tastor  Chang,  you 
were  right,  and  we  were  wrong."  United  with  his 
integrity  was  a  strong  sense  of  justice,  and  he  wa^ 
often  sought  as  a  peacemaker. 

Sy7npat}iy.  He  had  a  deep  sympathy  with  all 
in  distress,  and  made  many  private  gifts,  outside 
his  regular  contributions,  from  his  small  salary. 

Devotion  to  Duty.  This  amounted  with  him  al- 
most to  a  passion.  No  journey  was  too  long,  no 
day  too  cold  or  too  hot,  and  alas !  no  weakness  was 
too  great,  nor  service  too  exacting,  when  it  called 
him  to  any  duty  in  the  church.  It  was  only  by 
quiet  insistence,  and  by  offering  to  stand  in  his 
place,  that  at  last  he  gave  over  the  struggle. 

nigh  Standards.     He  set  a  high  standard  for 


114         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

himself,  as  also  for  his  wife  and  children.  Any 
failure  to  reach  it  was  likely  to  meet  with  less  sym- 
pathy than  it  deserved,  and  hence  he  sometimes 
seemed  unsympathetic. 

His  Reading.  He  had  a  deep  love  for  the  Bible. 
Besides  the  Bible,  he  was  much  drawn  to  ''The 
Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life,'-  and  recom- 
mended it  to  others.  He  had  also  a  small  but  well- 
chosen  librar}^,  and  kept  abreast  of  such  literature 
as  was  available. 

Companionship.  He  was  a  delightful  compan- 
ion, liked  a  good  time,  appreciated  a  joke,  and  was 
free  and  natural  in  conversation,  in  these  respects 
ag  unlike  the  ordinary  Chinese  scholar  as  possible. 
He  ^^spoke  such  good  thoughts  natiiral."  He  Avas 
the  quickest  and  most  responsive  to  new,  ideas  of 
any  Cinaman  we  have  ever  met.  A  beautiful  smile 
would  often  light  up  his  face,  showing  his  teeth, 
which  were  kept  pearly  white. 

Loyalty  to  China.  He  was  most  loyal  to  his 
country.  The  rottenness  of  China  no  one  could 
denounce  as  he,  and  yet  he  had  the  greatest  respect 
for  his  people,  and  he  believed  in  and  worked  for 
a  distinctly  Chinese  church. 

To  the  above  it  may  be  added  that  his  clothing 
was  always  neat,  also  that  he  insisted  on  order 
and  neatness  in  his  home.  The  wall  paper  was 
white^ — ISO  rare  in  China — partly  because  he  had 
iiivent(Ml  a  method  for  carrying  off  the  smoke  from 
his  little  Chinese  furnace.    He  taught  his  children 


IllustrioUvS  Chinese  Ciikistians.  115 

obedience  and  good  manners,  and  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  visit  his  home. 

One  of  his  classmates  writes  of  him  thus:  "He 
was  upright  in  heart,  far-reaching  in  perception, 
with  broad  ideas  and  plans,  enduring  work  man- 
fully, bearing  malice  sweetly,  ready  to  help  any 
good,  quick  to  right  any  wrong.  Oh  that  I  might 
be  like  him  I"  One  of  his  friends  has  written,  "His 
was  a  wonderful  character,  wonderful  anywhere." 

Our  dear,  dear  pastor,  how  we  have  missed  him 
since  he  was  taken  up!  The  Boxers  must  needs 
desecrate  his  grave,  but  he  was  far  away  out  of 
their  reach,  at  rest  in  the  blessed  home  above  the 
stars.  Chauncey  Goodrich. 

Sarah  B.  Goodrich. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Pastor  Meng^  of  Paotingfu. 

On  my  arrival  at  Peking  in  1865,  I  found  the 
Rev.  William  0.  Burns,  of  blessed  memory,  at  work 
in  rendering  Bunyan's  immortal  story  into  the 
Mandarin  Colloquial,  a  book  that  will  be  read  by 
millions  of  Chinese  in  the  coming  3^ears;  a  book — 
shall  we  add? — that  should  be  read  by  all  students 
of  Mandiarin.  Was  this  Mr.  Burns^  greatest  Avork? 
I  do  not  knoAv.  He  AA^as  by  choice  a  Avinner  of 
souls.  The  next  year — ^or  was  it  the  following? — 
he  made  a  journey  180  miles  to  the  south-southwest 
from  Peking,  to  the  market  toAvn  of  T^ang  Feng. 
From  this  place  as  a  center,  for  a  month  he  made 
short  tours  in  that  region.  As  the  immediate  result 
of  that  Avork,  three  men  were  interested,  all  of 
Avhom  were  finally  received  into  the  church.  Of 
these  men,  one  became  a  Christian  of  the  average 
good  standing.  (Alas  that  there  should  CA^er  be 
^•average"  Christians!)  One  of  them,  in  the  course 
of  years,  became,  first  a  colporter,  then  a  scandal, 
afterAvards  the  leader  of  a  band  of  robbers,  and 
Avas  finally  beheaded.  He  had  some  desire  for  good- 
ness, but  a  genius  for  wickedness.  The  third  Avas 
the  father  of  Pastor  Meng,  of  whom  this  sketch  is 
written. 

116 


PASTOR  MENG  AND  FAMILY. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         119 

Mr.  Meng  was  the  head  of  a  small  band  of  militia, 
a  man  of  free,  generous  instincts,  often  entertain- 
ing his  men  at  his  own  charges,  as  he  once  told  me, 
and  drinking  freely  with  them.  He  was  a  yeoman 
of  good  standing  in  the  place,  owning  enough  land 
to  furnish  a  comfortable  living.  Gradually,  through 
his  extravagant  generosity  and  his  convivial  habits, 
his  land  was  pawned  away,  and  he  was  left  with 
only  a  poor  shanty  to  cover  himself,  his  wife  and 
five  bairns.  It  should  be  written  that  Mr.  Meng 
had  withal  an  appetite  for  spiritual  truths.  He 
had  already  sought  peace  in  Buddhism  and  in 
Taoism,  both  leaving  him  in  a  state  of  unrest  and 
suspense.  It  was  in  this  condition  that  the  gos- 
pel "found  him."  For  a  month,  evening  by  even- 
ing, he  sat  at  the  feet  of  Mr.  Burns,  drinking  in  the 
strange,  new  story. 

Nothing  more  was  known  of  Mr.  Meng  till  July 
of  1873.  At  that  time  the  Rev.  Isaac  Pierson  and 
Dr.  A.  O.  Treat  were  quartered  in  an  inn  in  the 
city  of  Paotingfu,  where  for  three  months  they 
had  been  struggling  for  a  foothold.  The  bottom 
of  the  sky  seemed  to  have  dropped  out.  The  rain 
poured  in  torrents,  and  the  country  was  flooded. 
Suddenly,  one  evening,  Mr.  Meng  appeared,  and 
told  his  story:  of  the  visit  of  Mr.  Burns;  of  the 
wonderful  Book  he  had  left ;  of  how,  in  the  troub- 
lous times  of  1868,  when  the  land  was  filled  with 
insurgents,  he  would  go  away  by  himself  and  read 
it  and  get  comfort ;  of  how,  some  two  months  pre- 
vious to  his  coming,   his  wife  had   said   to  him. 


120         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

^'You  say  tkat  you  believe  those  books  tell  the 
truth,  and  that  men  ought  to  worship  Jesus  and 
not  these  idols.  Then,  why  don't  you  do  it?"  He 
replied,  "I  do  believe  it,  and  I  will.  When  shall 
we  begin?"  '^Right  off,"  she  said;  ''to-morrow 
morning."  And,  true  to  their  convictions,  they  at 
once  destroyed  their  idols,  and  began  to  read  the 
New  Testament  together,  and  to  pray.  A  feAV 
months  later  he  was  received  to  the  church.  From 
that  time  onward,  till  the  chariot  of  fire  came, 
some  twenty  years  later,  he  lived  as  in  a  ucav 
Avorld.  Old  things  had  passed  away.  He  was 
humble,  receptive,  ready  for  any  duty,  shrinking 
from  no  cross,  earnest,  generous  and  sunny-hearted. 
And  in  all  right  living  he  was  reinforced  by  his 
good  wife.  During  his  life,  more  than  a  score  of 
persons  were  won  to  Christ  by  his  personal  efforts. 

Such  was  the  soil  from  which  sprang  the  two 
pastors  Meng,  and  their  sister,  a  Bible  reader — 
three  royal  souls.  The  names  by  which  we  knew 
them  as  children  were  ''Ch'ang  Ch'un"  (''Always 
Spring"),  "Ch'ang  So"  ("Always  Locked"),  and 
"Ss  Me"   ("Think  of  the  Beautiful"). 

Some  three  years  ago  Pastor  Meng  (Che  Hsien) 
wrote  a  short  account  of  himself,  translated  by 
Miss  Lizzie  Pierson,  from  which  an  extract  is 
taken  here.  "I  wish  to  tell  you  a  little  of  the 
great  blessing  that  lias  come  to  all  our  family.  My 
lamented  father  was  the  first  fruit  of  the  Pao- 
tingfu  work.  .  .  .  When  finally  he  heard  the 
gospel,,  it   was  as  if  he  had   discovered   a  most 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         121 

precious  jewel,  and  lie  at  once  cast  away  the  false 
doctrine  he  had  previously  believed.  He  did  not 
content  himself  with  having  gained  salvation  for 
himself,  but  determined  to  take  us  two  brothers 
up  from  our  home  in  the  country,  to  study  in  the 
Christian  school  at  Paotingfu.  At  that  time  I 
was  not  more  than  ten  years  old.  When  I  arrived 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  I  listened  once  to  a  minute 
description  of  the  trial  of  Jesus  before  the  Sanhe- 
drim and  Pilate,  and  of  the  suffering  and  ignominy 
he  endured,  even  unto  death.  My  conscience  was 
pricked  to  the  quick,  and  for  a  week  I  wept.  I 
then  earnestly  sought  baptism,  and  I  determined 
to  give  my  life  to  the  work  of  preaching  Christ, 
as  a  small  partial  payment  for  the  dying  grace  of 
our  Lord.  The  picture  of  the  death  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  is  constantly  before  my  mind  and  heart. 
After  my  baptism.  Dr.  Goodrich  took  me  to  Tung- 
cho,  where  I  studied  in  the  school  and  Theological 
Seminary.  During  all  these  years  I  assisted  in 
preaching  during  vacations.  At  the  age  of  thirty 
(some  thirteen  years  ago)  I  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry.  My  brother  was  ordained  at  the  age  of 
thirty-one.  Two  brothers  ordained  to  the  ministry 
is  no  uncommon  thing  in  America.  In  China  it 
marks  a  most  wonderful  favor  from  God.  It  is 
my  strong  hope  that  the  Lord  Jesus  will  use  us 
two  brothers,  as  he  used  Moses  and  Aaron,  to  lead 
multitudes  out  from  the  place  of  bondage.  As  I 
look  back  to  the  period  before  Ave  two' became 
Christians,  I  think  how  poverty-stricken  and  base 


122         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

was  our  condition.  Our  daily  occupations  were 
collecting  fuel  in  the  fields  and  by  the  roadside, 
and  gathering  manure  in  the  filthy  streets.  In 
comparison  with  the  holy  calling  we  now  pursue, 
it  is  like  the  contrast  between  heaven  and  earth. 
Is  not  this  due  to  the  Lord's  wonderful  mercy?" 

Miss  Jennie  G.  Evans,  of  Tungcho,  writes  me 
as  follows:  ^^You  know  of  his  conversion,  and  of 
his  grandmother's  desire  that  he  should  stay  with 
her,  and  not  follow  the  family  and  become  a  Chris- 
tian. But  he  laid  down  his  hoe  in  the  field,  and 
went  where  the  missionary  was  preaching,  and 
decided  to  find  the  God  his  father  had  found.  You 
brought  him  to  Peking,  where  I  first  met  him,  and 
from  there  he  entered  school,  a  classmate  of  Pastor 
Cbang.  As  a  young  man  he  Avas  firm  and  decided 
in  his  views,  sometimes  as  decided  in  what  we 
thought  wrong,  and  it  w^as  hard  to  convince  him. 
P>ut  when  he  was  convinced,  nothing  would  change 
him  back  to  the  old  way.  He  was  always  a  power 
in  the  school,  and  always  for  righto  He  was  my 
stay  and  help.  All  through  those  years  I  felt  I 
had  a  pillar  to  lean  against.  ...  I  have  been 
with  him  in  country  work,  and  saw  how  he  drew 
the  jjeople  to  him." 

The  above  will  give  some  picture  of  the  boy  and 
the  young  man,  a  person  of  quick,  right,  generous 
impulses,  a  born  leader  of  men,  led  himself  by  a 
strong  conscience.  He  was  faithful  in  his  studies, 
graduating  with  honor.  But  it  was  in  the  battle 
of  life,  rather  than  in  the  study,  that  he  was  a 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  VS6 

power.  For  more  than  twent}^  years  a  preacher 
in  city  and  country,  he  threw  himself  with  all  the 
force  of  his  strong  nature  into  the  great  work.  His 
sermons  were  not  polished,  but  were  vigorous  and 
earnest  like  himself. 

For  fourteen  years  he  was  pastor,  and  for  a 
considerable  part  of  that  time  he  had  sole  pastoral 
charge  of  the  church  in  Paotingfu,  and  of  the 
large  country  district,  including  a  total  church 
membership  of  about  six  hundred,  besides  children 
and  inquirers.  A  most  diflQcult  place  to  fill !  And 
sometimes  we  feared  that  between  the  responsi- 
bilities and  the  temptations,  he  might  break  down. 
But  he  grew  in  strength  and  in  sweetness  of  char- 
acter to  the  end. 

He  was  inducted  into  the  evangelistic  work  by 
the  Rev.  Isaac  Pierson,  who  was  most  faithful  in 
guiding  his  small  band  of  helpers  in  their  itinerant 
labors,  and  training  them  to  work  the  field.  Some 
paragraphs  written  by  Mr.  Pierson  will  be  of 
interest. 

^'During  the  famine  of  1878,  though  but  eighteen 
years  of  age,  he  was  one  of  the  bravest  and  most 
faithful  assistants  of  Dr.  Ament  and  myself.  Those 
were  perilous  times.  Murder  and  highway  rob- 
bery were  frequent,  and  ^the  pestilence  that  walk- 
eth  in  darkness'  was  a  constant  menace,  but  the 
youth  never  flinched.  ...  I  never  knew  him 
to  flinch  a  duty  or  to  seek  the  easiest  place  in  any 
effort,  but  rather,  as  by  a  birthright,  he  quietly 
took  the  hardest  and  most  difficult  part  of  every 


124         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

enterprise  that  came  to  him.  And  he  did  it  in  a 
beautiful,  self-forgetting  way  that  made  it  easier 
for  others  to  follow.  On  Sundays,  in  his  turn,  he 
used  to  preach  in  Ch'ing  Liang  Cheng.  He  would 
start  off  on  Sunday  morning  with  a  glad  good 
cheer,  to  walk  ten  miles  there,  preach  and  teach  all 
day,  and  then  back  again  in  the  evening. 

''Inheriting  much  of  the  kindness  of  heart  of  his 
father  and  brother,  he  was  better  known  for  his 
quick  perception  of  right,  and  his  entire  absence 
of  self  in  fulfilling  it.  In  the  last  social  gathering 
at  Tungcho,  he  quietly  announced  that  his  duty 
called  him  to  go  to  Paotingfu,  for  Mr.  Pitkin  was 
alone.  And  he  went,  though  he  knew  it  was  into 
the  gravest  peril,  and,  alas!  it  proved  to  be  into 
death.  If  angels  in  heaven  merely  'sit  and  sing 
themselves  away  to  everlasting  bliss,'  I  fear  our 
beloved  martyr  will  not  be  very  happy  there.  But 
if  they  have  heroic  duties  to  fulfill.  Pastor  Meng 
will  be  the  peer  of  the  gladdest. 

"After  the  death  of  the  father,  and  acting  on 
his  request,  the  two  young  men  came  to  me,  and 
requested  leave  of  absence,  to  go  to  their  ancestral 
home,  some  130  miles  distant,  and  bury  their 
paternal  grandparents  and  great-grandparents, 
whose  renmins  had  not  been  buried,  but  kept  for 
twenty  years  in  great  coffins.  The  brothers  took 
all  their  savings,  borrowing  also  quite  a  sum  on 
the  security  of  their  wages,  and  went  and  per- 
fcrmed  these  solemn  rites  with  Christian  services, 
returning   with   somewhat   the   same   feeling  that 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  125 

Joseph  had  after  burying  his  father  in  the  cave 
of  Machpelah. 

^^Che  Hsien  was  the  first  Chinaman  in  Paotingfu 
to  do  his  own  courting.  He  came  to  me  late  one 
summer  evening,  and,  sitting  down  by  my  side,  ap- 
proached the  subject  with  commendable  directness. 
He  first  hinted,  and  then  asked  that  I  would  act 
as  go-between,  and  secure  for  him  Miss  Chang 
T^sui.  I  replied  in  Puritanical  fashion,  'Speak  for 
yourself,  Ch'ang  Ch'un.'  That  was  an  entirely  new 
idea  in  his  conception.  But  he  retired,  and  the 
next  evening  appeared  with  a  merry  face,  saying 
he  had  done  so  and  it  was  all  right. 

''Che  Hsien  was  always  cheerful,  and  his  laugh 
was  the  merriest  and  most  contagious  I  ever  heard 
\a  China."  So  far  the  testimony  of  one  who  had 
the  most  intimate  acquaintance  with  our  beloved 
martyr, 

In  the  early  spring  of  1900,  after  the  wonderful 
revival  at  T'ungcho,  myself  and  my  other  self,  with 
three  of  our  students  (young  men  who  had  re- 
ceived the  baptism  of  fire),  went  to  Paotingfu  to 
help  for  a  few  days.  Earnest  work  had  been  done 
in  preparation  for  the  Spirit's  coming.  The  few 
days  there  were  days  of  great  blessing.  One  of 
the  first  to  rise  with  words  of  penitence  on  his  lips 
was  Pastor  Meng.  He  said  substantially:  "It  is 
a  great  grief  to  me  that  I  have  not  been  more  faith- 
ful, and  that  I  have  allowed  worldly  things  to 
interfere  with  my  great  work  of  winning  souls. 
Pray  that  the  Lord  will  forgive  me,  and  give  me 


126         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

new  grace  to  labor  in  his  kingdom  from  this  time 
forward.  Here  I  consecrate  myself  anew  to  the 
Lord's  work.''  He  sat  down,  and  for  the  remainder 
of  the  meeting  the  great  teardrops  fell  fast  from 
his  eyes.  With  what  love  and  winning  power  he 
preached  those  days,  and  labored  with  his  people. 
In  the  same  spirit  he  went  to  the  annual  meeting 
in  May  at  Tungcho,  from  which  he  returned  in 
haste,  soon  to  meet  his  baptism  of  blood. 

Our  dear  pastor  was  the  first  of  all  that  royal 
company  to  be  seized  by  the  Boxer  fiends,  and  to 
be  caught  up  from  their  unholy  hands  by  the  chariot 
of  fire.  Rev.  J.  W.  Lowrie,  of  Paotingfu,  writes: 
^'On  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  28th  of  June,  while 
Pastor  Meng  was  packing  the  books  in  the  street 
chapel  within  the  city,  preparatory  to  removing 
everything  and  sealing  up  the  chapel,  he  was  sud- 
denly seized,  bound  and  carried  to  a  temple  occu- 
pied by  the  Boxers.  Mr.  Pitkin  sent  his  card  to  the 
police  court  to  secure  his  release,  but  in  vain,  and 
after  a  night  of  suffering  he  was  beheaded,  and 
buried  behind  the  temple  in  a  ditch.  In  the  month 
of  December  his  body  was  reverently  removed  from 
this  burial-place  and  coflflned.  The  hands,  still 
bound  behind  the  back,  were  released,  and  the  head 
laid  in  its  proper  place  by  the  younger  brother  of 
the  deceased,  and  by  the  Christians  present,  some 
thirty  in  number."  It  is  a  very  short  story,  but 
nearly  all  we  shall  ever  know  till  we  hear  it  from 
his  lips  in  the  Celestial  City. 

Pastor  Meng's  four  children  were  seized,   and 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  127 

all  killed  save  Titus  the  eldest,  a  boy  twelve  or 
thirteen  years  old,  of  winning  face  and  manners. 
He  came  out  manfully  for  Christ  in  the  revival 
mentioned  above.  One  of  the  Boxers  was  so  charmed 
and  touched  by  the  boy's  sweet  face,  that  he  begged 
the  others  to  save  him,  and  wished  to  bring  him 
up  as  his  own  son.  It  reminds  one  of  the  story  of 
Moses.  That  arrangement  was  not,  however,  to 
continue.  Not  long  since,  a  Japanese  Christian 
gentleman  of  means  saw  him,  and  begged  the  priv- 
ilege of  educating  the  boy,  promising  to  return  him 
to  China  as  soon  as  the  school  curriculum  should 
be  completed.  His  terms  were  at  length  accepted, 
and,  by  this  strange  turn  in  the  wheel  of  Provi- 
dence, Titus  is  now  in  Japan  with  his  new  friend. 
May  it  not  be  that  some  who  read  this  sketch  shall 
add  the  dear  boy's  name  to  the  list  of  those  for 
whom  they  pray? 

In  March  of  the  present  year  there  was  a  memo- 
rial service  for  the  martyrs,  native  and  foreign, 
of  Paotingfu.  The  official  part  of  it  was  a  most 
imposing  Chinese  pageant,  while  the, service  was 
pathetic  and  memorable.  In  this  service  Meng 
received  especial  honor,  and  it  was  everywhere  ap- 
parent how  widely  he  was  honored  and  loved. 

Let  me  add  here  the  testimony  of  two  friends 
who  labored  side  by  side  with  Pastor  Meng  for  the 
last  seven  years.  Rev.  Geo.  Henry  Ewing,  of 
Paotingfu,  writes:  "When  I  first  met  Meng  Che 
Hsien  in  the  winter  of  1893-4,  he  impressed  me  as 
a  tall,  not  unhandsome  man,  with  a  quick,  nervous 


128         -Illustrious  Chixese  Ciiristlvns. 

manner  of  speech ;  a  man  of  nuicli  energy,  very  con- 
scientious, and  realizing  the  earnestness  of  life. 
It  was  apparent  that,  owing  to  the  comparatively 
late  period  when  his  education  began,  he  had  never 
commanded  the  polished  style  or  dignified  bearing 
of  his  3^ounger  brother  when  in  the  pulpit.  But  his 
cheerful  optimism,  and  simple  faith  in  Grod,  made 
him  none  the  less  effective  as  a  preaching  helper. 
He  was  never  ashamed  to  witness  for  those  truths 
in  the  Christian  religion  which,  while  most  vital, 
are  so  often  to  the  heathen  mind  a  stumbling-block 
and  rock  of  offence.  How  often  have  I  heard  him 
in  the  street  chapel  upbraiding  the  people  for  the 
sin  of  worshiping  the  'five  sacred  animals,'  a  temple 
to  which  stood  near  to  one  corner  of  the  city.  What 
an  irony  that  as  a  victim  he  should  be  led  captive 
to  this  temple,  and  there  beheaded  for  his  faith! 

''Pastor  Meng  ranked  high  as  a  peacemaker  be- 
tween the  Christians  and  their  numberless  enemies. 
His  skill  and  wisdom,  tempering  justice  with 
mercy,  commanded  our  admiration.  For  this  abil- 
ity, and  the  love  which  begot  it,  also  for  his  faithful 
pastoral  care  bestowed  upon  the  weaker  Christians 
in  the  country  out-stations,  he  was  universally  be- 
loved.   He  was  emphatically  an  unselfish  man.'' 

Mrs.  Ewing  also  writes  of  him,  as  follows :  "As 
I  think  of  the  man  who  for  nearly  seven  years  w^as 
our  brother  in  the  work  in  Paotingfu,  it  is  with 
the  profoundest  respect  and  admiration.  .  .  . 
I  remember  especially  one  Sabbath,  some  years  ago, 
when,  after  a  sermon  on  giving  a  tenth  to  the  Lord, 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  129 

he  came  to  us  and  resolved  (a  resolve  always  after- 
ward kept  faithfully)  to  give  a  tenth  of  all  that  he 
had  to  the  Lord.  From  his  small  salary  he  gave 
liberally  and  cheerfully  whenever  he  found  a  need. 
He  was  ahcai/s  cheerful.  When  his  wife  and  little 
girl  died,  he  took  it  so  beautifully  that  at  the  time 
I  almost  thought  he  didn't  care  quite  so  much  as 
he  ought  to.  But  I  believe  now  that  it  was  the 
childlike  simplicity  of  trust  in  his  Father's  love 
and  wisdom,  which  was  so  eminently  a  part  of  his 
every-day  life,  that  helped  him  in  those  days  of 
sorrow  and  trouble.  I  never  saw  him  afraid.  I 
can't  imagine  him  afraid,  not  even  when  confronted 
with  death  itself.  .  .  .  Thoroiughly  unselfish 
and  beautiful  in  character,  we  thank  God  that  He 
let  our  lives  touch  his,  for  the  lessons  learned  from 
him,  and  for  the  years  of  precious  friendship  with 
Pastor  Meng,  whom  to  know  was  to  love  and 
honor." 

What  else  shall  we  write  but  a  word  of  gratitude 
to  God,  who  gave  us  such  a  worker,  pastor.  Chris- 
tian, friend,  for  all  his  work  sand  life;  and  a  sigh 
that  he  must  needs  be  caught  away  from  us,  when 
the  fields  are  so  white,  and  the  laborers  almost 
none? 

And  one  word  more.  Sometimes  the  Holy  Spirit 
makes  a  splendid  pattern  of  a  Christian  here,  and 
apparently  with  as  great  ease  as  though  the  sub- 
ject belonged  to  any  other  race.  Does  this  suggest 
the  possibilities  and  the  future  of  China? 

Chauncey  Goodrich. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Wong  Ping  San, 
poet,  musician,  saint. 

First   Pastor   of    the    Shanghai    Chinese    Baptist 
Chtirch. 

Pastor  Wong  is  the  author  of  the  following  and 
other  hymns: 

Before  my  lips  break  forth  in  praise, 

My  tears  should  downward  ilow, 
From  thinking  o'er  my  countless  faults — 

A  life  of  sin  and  woe. 

A  fearful  hell  of  endless  night, 

One  seemed  to  drag  me  there ; 
A  thousand  thoughts  distressed  my  mind 

And  plunged  rae  in  despair. 

But  God  has  opened  wide  the  door. 

Has  sent  his  only  Son, 
Who  shed  for  me  his  precious  blood 

And  saved  the  hopeless  one. 

With  weeping  thanks  for  saving  grace, 

My  help  the  Holy  Ghost, 
I  cast  myself  and  all  I  have 

On  thee,  my  Saviour  Christ. 

Mr.  M.  F.  Crawford  has  written  very  interest- 
ingly of  this  man,  familiarly  known  as  ^'Pastor 
Wong.'^ 

He  first  came  to  foreigners  in  the  capacity  of  a 
teacher  for  a  day  school  for  girls.     He  not  only 

180 


WONG-PING-SAN. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         133 

performed  his  duties  well,  but  at  once  took  an 
interest  in  the  religious  teaching;  he  was  by  nature 
inquisitive  and  religious.  He  himself  said  that 
"when  he  was  seventeen  he  was  a  diligent  inquirer 
after  truth." 

It  is  said  he  was  once  a  Taoist  priest.  And  he 
had  delved  into  the  mysteries  of  Buddhism  and  the 
doctrines  of  Confucianism.  He  knew  their  phi- 
losophy, their  chants,  and  their  ceremonies.  But 
he  had  found  nothing  to  satisfy  his  soul. 

He  turned  to  the  Christian  religion.  His  strug- 
gles were  long  and  bitter.  His  mind  was  greatly 
agitated.  But  he  thought  how  much  better  would 
be  eternal  life  than  either  transmigration  or  anni- 
hilation. , 

While  in  this  state  of  mind  he  one  day  brought 
a  sketch  representing  a  soul  sitting  in  the  clouds, 
looking  down  on  its  deserted  skeleton  as  it  lay 
stretched  upon  the  ground.  A  verse  of  poetry  de- 
scribed the  souPs  emotion  as  it  contemplated  its 
former  habitation. 

He  was  set  to  transcribe  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 
As  he  wrote  sentence  after  sentence  his  heart  was 
moved.  He  felt  the  power  and  life  in  the  wondrous 
story.  He  said  to  Mr.  Crawford,  "My  heart  is 
near  the  heart  of  Jesus.''  "I  have  broken  only  a 
few  of  the  commandments,  and  I  think  I  can  hence- 
forth keep  them  all.'' 

Mr.  Crawford  taught  him  the  true  doctrine  of 
the  law,  and  that  offending  in  one  point  was  to  be 
guilty  of  all.     Wong  was  startled.     He  reflected. 


134  ILLU8T1UOUS  ChiiNese  Christians. 

He  saw  it  was  true.  He  began  to  cry  mightily  for 
help. 

There  was  no  acquaintance  who  could  sympa- 
thize with  him,  and  no  one  to  go  to  but  the  for- 
eigner. He  even  thought  foreigners  might  be  in 
some  way  different  from  his  people  and  perhaps 
Chinese  could  not  experience  the  same  peace  and 
joy  in  believing.  He  had  been  taught,  however,  that 
he  could  have  the  same  blessings  as  soon  as  he  was 
in  a  spiritual  condition  to  receive  them. 

One  day  he  began  to  read  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
Between  each  petition  he  paused  to  examine  him- 
self whether  it  was  said  in  all  sincerity.  "Forgive 
us  our  trespasises  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  us."  He  stopped.  "  ^As  we  forgive!'  Ah! 
T  have  not  forgiven  some  of  my  old  enemies.  I  will 
do  it — /  do  forgive  them  all/'  At  this  moment  he 
felt  his  sins  like  a  great  house  come  crumbling  to 
the  ground,  and  the  love  of  God  filled  his  heart. 
There  was  great  joy  when  he  related  his  experience 
to  us. 

It  is  very  interesting  to  read  of  his  ideas  about 
entering  the  church.  When  asked  if  he  wished  to 
enter  the  cliurch,  he  said :  "If  the  church  is  what 
you  say  it  is,  and  what  I  read  of  in  the  Holy  Book, 
I  wish  to  do  so.  Many  vile  things  are  said  about 
the  foreigners  and  their  religion.  I  do  not  credit 
them.  But  if  you  have  secret  rites  or  practices, 
I  do  not  pledge  myself  to  them.  If  Christianity 
is  what  I  see  and  believe  it  to  be,  I  wish  to  unite 
with  you  and  follow  the  Lord." 


CHINESE  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  SHANGHAI. 
(Associated  with  "Wong-Ping-San,") 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         137 

When  he  was  baptized  he  was  so  overcome  with 
emotion  that  his  strength  gave  way,  and  he  had  to 
be  assisted  out  of  the  water.  He  fonnd  it  almost 
impossible  to  make  his  neighbors  believe  that  he 
did  not  receive  money,  or  some  other  consideration, 
for  becoming  a  Christian. 

His  conversion  and  his  zealous  labors  were  the 
beginning  of  a  religious  interest  in  Shanghai  which 
lasted  several  years,  and  resulted  in  the  baptism 
of  seventeen  or  eighteen  persons'.  Wong  was  the 
natural  leader  of  the  rest,  and  in  a  few  years  was 
ordained  -the  first  deacon  of  the  Shanghai  Baptist 
Church. 

He  was  an  earnest,  fearless  and  persistent 
preacher.  In  1863  he  became  associated  with  Dr. 
Yates  in  translating  the  New  Testament  into'  the 
Shanghai  dialect,  and  in  other  religious  work. 
This  gave  him  intimate  and  accurate  Scriptural 
knowledge. 

Three  years  later  he  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry and  became  co-pastor  of  the  church.  In  later 
years  most  of  the  pastoral  duties  fell  to  him.  He 
was  not  only  an  acknowledged  leader  among  the 
Baptist  brotherhood,  but  held  a  high  place  in  the 
estimation  of  Christians  of  other  denominations. 
He  was  often  consulted  by  them  on  important  re- 
ligious matters;  and  he  was  general  adviser  to  his 
own  flock  on  all  questions — secular  as  well  as 
religious. 

Early  in  1890,  after  a  few  days  of  illness,  he  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus,  deeply  regretted  by  us  all.     His 


138         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

wife  had  been  a  Christian  and  helpmeet  for  many 
years.    They  reared  a  large  family. 

Their  eldest  son  (called  ''Tsong"  from  having 
been  (adopted  into  his  sister's  family)  has  been  in 
the  employ  of  the  Chinese  Religious  Tract  Society 
for  forty  years.  He  edits  the  Illustrated  Chinese 
Neivs  and  CliilcTs  Paper.  His  son  was  educated  in 
America,  and  is  now  a  professor  in  the  Anglo- 
Chinese  College,  Shanghai. 

Another  grandson  is  in  the  Baptist  Anglo- 
Chinese  School.  A  granddaughter  is  a  teacher  in 
the  Methodist  Mission. 

Pastor  Wong's  youngest  son,  Sing  San  (Zion), 
has  been  connected  with  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  for  some  twenty  years,  and  is  now 
accountant  in  that  society.  He  is  a  deacon  in  his 
church,  also. 

Wong^s  sympathies  were  broad,  and  he  had  un- 
usual originality  of  thought  for  a  Chinese. 

He  had  also  great  respect  for  women.  He  once, 
after  aiding  in  translating  a  story  for  children, 
was  asked  for  criticisms  upon  it.  He  replied, 
"Let  me  take  it  home  and  read  it  to  my  wife.  If 
there  are  any  defects,  her  fine  perceptions  will  de- 
tect them." 

As  a  preacher,  he  spoke  to  the  consciences  of 
men,  earnestly  and  faithfully  urging  them  to  flee 
the  wrath  to  come,  and  trust  the  regenerating 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  often  related  the 
story  of  his  own  conversion. 

He  remained^  to  the  last^  modest  and  unpretend- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         139 

ing  in  manner,  never  presuming  upon  the  influence 
he  had  gained  over  others. 

Socially  he  wias  an  interesting  companion,  gen- 
ial, and  instructive  in  conversation,  possessed  of 
a  ready  wit  and  a  philosophical  turn  of  mind.  His 
expressions  often  fixed  themselves  in  the  minds  of 
his  hearers. 

Wong  Ping  San  was  a  poet  as  well  as  a  musician. 
Some  of  his  verses,  a  sample  of  which  stands  at 
the  head  of  this  article,  were  pronounced  by  compe- 
tent critics  to  be  the  best  in  the  Chinese  language. 

He  had  a  great  reputation  as  peacemaker  among 
his  people.    And  he  has  left  a  blessed  memory. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Deacon  W  oxg,  of  Shanghai. 

Deacon  Wong  was  born  near  Sbanghai,  on 
Chinese  New  Year's  Day,  1819.  He  was  a  welcome 
and  valuable  New  Year's  gift  to  his  country,  and 
to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

When  a  boy  he  worked  on  the  farm  with  his 
father.  A  spirit  of  enterprise  stirred  within  him, 
and  when  sixteen  he  came  to  Shanghai  and  became 
an  apprentice  in  a  rice-shop.  In  three  years  more 
he  opened  a  shop  of  his  owm. 

Not  until  he  w^as  forty  years  of  age  did  he  hear 
the  gospel — from  Mr.  Carpenter,  of  the  Seventh- 
day  Baptist  Mission. 

The  next  year  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  M.  T. 
Yates,  D.  D.,  and  joined  the  Baptist  Church  of 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  He  at  once  be- 
gan to  close  his  shop  on  Sundays.  The  Chinese 
reported  that  he  receivel  ten  dollars  a  month  from 
foreigners  for  doing  so. 

Countrymen  who  had  brought  rice  to  market, 
had  so  much  confidence  in  him  that  they  would 
wait  until  Monday.  Then,  if  he  could  not  buy, 
they  secured  from  him  the  true  market  price  of 
the  day,  so  that  other  dealers  could  not  cheat  them. 
He  dated  his  great  prosperity  from  the  time  he  be- 
came a  Christian. 

140 


PEACOX  WONG,  OF  SHANGHAI. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  143 

None  of  his  family  were  as  yet  Christians,  and 
his  wife  would  secretly  sell  rice  to  customers  while 
her  husband  was  at  church.  A  little  later  Mrs. 
Yates,  accompanied  by  some  of  the  women  of  the 
household,  went  to  his  home  and  taught  his  wife 
the  gospel,  and  she,  too,  became  la,  Christian,  and 
a  helpmeet  to  her  husband.  He  continued  in  the 
rice  business  until  he  was  fifty-eight,  when  he 
opened  a  cloth  store.  He  has  been  very  successful, 
and  owns  much  land  and  houses. 

In  1885  he  bought  a  lot  inside  the  city,  near  the 
West  Gate,  and  built  a  small  chapel  on  it.  Here 
he  preached  the  gospel  regularly  and  faithfully  for 
many,  many  years.  He  also  gave  away  books, 
tracts  and  other  literature.  Thus  did  he  manifest 
ii  tender  and  practical  interest  in  the  salvation 
of  his  people. 

He  has  always  been  economical;  his  habit  has 
always  been  to  walk  when  others  rode,  and  this 
money  he  gave  to  the  poor.  His  benevolence  is 
rather  remarkable.  It  is  almost  a  literal  fact  that 
he  has  never  refused  when  asked  for  help.  He  has 
lost  money  by  leniency  with  debtors.  He  has  lost 
a  large  amount  of  rent  money — he  can  not  resist 
the  importunity  of  a  tenant.  In  cases  of  distress 
they  stay  rent  free.  It  is  his  declared  intention 
to  fulfill  the  gospel  injunction,  "To  them  that  ask, 
turn  not  away."  He  really  seems  to  love  his  neigh- 
bor as  himself. 

For  many  years  he  was  deacon — hence  his  popu- 
lar title,  "Deacon  Wong."    In  1898  he  became  pas- 


144         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

tor  of  the  church,  without  salary.  He  was  quite 
old,  but  still  strong,  and  able  to  preach  well. 

A  few  years  lago  he  lost  about  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  in  the  cloth  business,  through  the  dis- 
honesty of  clerks..  But  he  did  not  grieve  over  his 
loss.  He  said  he  brought  nothing  into  the  world, 
and  it  was  certain  he  could  carry  nothing  out  of 
it.  Such  cheerful  resignation  is  not  too  common  in 
Christian  lands.  He  seems  to  be  somewhat  distin- 
guished because  he  takes  his  religion  so  seriously 
and  literally.  But  all  the  more  honor  to  him.  He 
even  refused  to  proisecute  the  head  man  in  the 
store,  although  the  man  showed  no  contrition. 

Although  he  is  now  too  old  to  preach  regular- 
ly, he  is  never  missing  in  his  pew  unless  on  accbunt 
of  sickness,  and  continues,  even  since  his  great 
money  loss,  to  contribute  in  the  same  liberal  spirit, 
to  all  the  work  of  the  church,  and  to  works  of 
charity. 

His  most  distinguishing  traits  are  purity  of  life, 
humility,  cheerful  faith  in  God,  and  liberality.  In 
each  of  these  he  excels. 

In  his  old  age  he  has  become  a  prophet  to  his 
people.  With  earnest  face  and  uplifted  hand  he 
declares  the  wonder-working  power  of  God.  He 
recounts  the  mercies  of  the  past,  and,  with  prophet- 
ic vision,  portrays  the  triumphs  of  the  kingdom 
soon  to  appear  within  the  borders  of  his  native 
land.  He  unites  the  glowing  faith  of  age  w^ith  the 
enthusiasm  of  youth. 

Even  in  his  younger  days  he  used  to  preach  until 


CHUKCH  BUILT  BY  DEACON   WONG,  OF  SHANGHAI. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  1^7 

too  exhausted  to  walk  home  until  he  had  rested. 
And  now  he  uses  the  last  vestige  of  strength  in 
foretelling  the  certain  victories  that  await  the 
faithful  proclamation  of  the  truth  in  the  Empire 
of  China,  he  himself  being  a  living  witness  of  its 
power  and  a  monument  of  its  grace. 

Dr.  Yates  said  of  him:  ^^Wong  lis  a  libenal 
Christian.  When  anything  is  required  that  calls 
for  contributions,  he  craves  the  privilege  of  doing 
it  or  of  having  a  large  share  in  it.'' 

And  about  the  chapel  he  built,  and  the  work 
in  it:  "The  chapel  is  unique  and  a  very  nice 
place.  Here  Wong  is  monarch  of  all  he  surveys. 
He  preaches  regularly  three  afternoons  in  each 
week.  I  call  in  occasionally  and  find  his  place  full 
of  attentive  listeners.  But  my  presence  does  not 
daunt  him.  He  points  me  to  a  chair  in  the  ^amen' 
corner  until  he  has  finished.  Then  he  tells  the 
audience  that  he  is  a  mere  novice,  that  the  old 
pastor  will  speak  to  them  more  satisfactorily. 
Before  I  get  through  I  can  see  that  he  is  just  effer- 
vescing to  get  another  chance  at  his  congregation. 
Sure  enough,  when  I  descend  he  mounts  the  pulpit 
and  hammers  away  for  another  half  hour.  Now, 
this  is  the  direction  in  which  we  want  to  go.  I 
have  long  worked  and  prayed  for  spontaneous 
work.  Wong  and  his  noble  acts  are  an  inspiration 
to  all.  He  has  pointed  out  a  new  and  better  way. 
He  is  a  forerunner  in  ushering  in  the  self-support 
and  religious  spontaneity  so  desirable  in  China." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Helper  Li,  of  Tunc;  Chow, 
one  of  the  martyrs. 

The  village  of  Tsaofang,  not  far  from  the  city 
of  Tung  Chow  (fifteen  miles  from  Peking),  was 
the  home  of  Li  Te  Kwei.  The  family  were  in  very 
moderate  circumstances,  yet  managed  with  indus- 
try to  support  themselves  from  the  few  acres  of 
land  they  owned. 

Li  Te  Kwei  turned  ^'donkey-driver"  during  the 
winter  months;  that  is,  he  made  the  donkey  sup- 
port itself  during  those  months  by  carrying  pas- 
sengers between  Peking  and  Tung  Chow.  It  may 
be  said  that  this  is  a  very  humble  occupation, 
and  it  will  readily  be  believed  that  very,  very  few 
^'donkey-drivers"  have  ever  achieved  distinction  or 
prominence. 

The  father  died  when  the  children  were  all 
young,  and  the  care  of  the  family  came  upon  the 
mother,  with  the  help  of  Li  Te  Kwei,  as  he  became 
older. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  (not  an  early  age  in 
China),  he  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  a 
woman  in  the  employ  of  the  missionaries  in  Tung 
Chow,  tier  son,  from  the  time  he  was  a  little  boy, 
had  studied   in  the  mission   school,   and   in  time 

14S 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.  149 

both  mother  and  son  became  Christians,  but  the 
daughter  was  in  this  heathen  home. 

It  was  this  family  that  one  of  the  young  helpers, 
going  about  from  village  to  village,  found.  Little 
by  little,  step  by  step,  this  faithful  young  man,  not 
much  older  than  Li,  led  him  on. 

For  months,  all  the  teaching  he  received  was 
from  this  young  man,  who  went  there  regulaiiiy 
each  week  until  Li  was  induced  to  visit  the  mis- 
sionaries and  attend  the  church  services.  It  w^as 
not  long  before  he  believed  with  his  whole  heart,  be- 
came a  great  student  of  the  Bible,  and  every  Sab- 
bath was  found  in  his  place  in  the  church,  and 
happy  to  impart  what  he  had  learned,  to  others. 

One  of  the  missionaries,  seeing  what -an  earnest 
man  he  was,  and  how  faithful  in  everything,  took 
him  into  his  employ  as  a  servant,  thus  bringing  him 
within  reach  of  daily  instruction,  w^hich  was  a 
great  joy  to  him. 

One  of  the  Bible  classes  in  the  school  was  taught 
in  the  evening;  he  joined,  and,  as  the  teacher 
can  testify,  was  one  of  the  most  interested  mem- 
bers. Thus  for  two  years  he  filled  a  servant^s 
place  until  it  was  clear  that  he  could  enter  a  larger 
sphere,  and  he  was  asked  to  join  the  theological 
class  and  fit  for  his  life-work.  It  was  evident  that 
God  had  called  him  to  a  higher  enterprise.  Most 
faithfully  did  he  spend  his  years  of  preparation. 
Then  came  two  years  of  preaching  in  the  street 
chapel — faithful,  earnest,  hand-to-hand  work.  In 
those  yearst  many  were  brought  into  the  church. 


150         Illustrious  Chinese  Oiiristians. 

From  the  chapel  work  he  was  called  to  an  im- 
portant out-station,  the  home  of  his  wife  and  many 
relatives.  As  one  of  the  results  of  his  efforts  here, 
three  families  were  led  into  the  truth.  When  the 
massacre  came,  this  church  was  almost  swept 
away — forty-five  being  killed,  among  them  his 
mother-in-law,  his  own  sister  and  her  husband  and 
some  children. 

During  his  seminary  course,  and  while  engaged 
in  his  work,  his  own  family  was  not  forgotten. 
When  his  mother  knew  that  he  had  become  a  Chris- 
tian, she  was  very  angry  and  looked  upon  it  as 
very  sinful  that  he  should  leave  the  gods  she 
trusted,  to  follow,  as  she  said,  ^'the  foreigners." 
She  railed  at  him  and  persecuted  him,  all  of  which 
he  suffered  with  a  patient,  loving  spirit,  his  happy 
face  always  speaking  of  the  peace  within.  He 
prayed,  worked  and  waited. 

After  ten  years  of  constant  work  for  souls,  his 
health  failed.  For  two  months  it  seemed  that  his 
work  here  on  earth  was  done;  then,  when  a  little 
better,  he  went  to  visit  his  mother,  telling  her  that 
^vhen  he  was  so  sick  he  thought  he  must  die,  his 
heart  was  at  peace  and  he  was  very  happy,  because 
he  knew  the  Saviour  he  trusted  had  a  place  pre- 
pared for  him.  "If  I  had  not  believed  God,  how 
could  I  have  had  this  hope?" 

This  time  the  whole  family  was  moved,  and  he 
soon  had  the  great  joy  of  knowing  that  not  only 
his  mother,  but  his  grandmother,  brother,  and  his 
wife,  had  all  come  out  on  the  side  of  Christ.     Li 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         151 

Te  Kwei's  patience  and  love  had  conquered,  and  his 
prayers  were  -answered. 

Many  of  his  family  laid  down  their  lives  for 
their  Master  during  those  fearful  months  of  the 
summer  of  1900.  They  were  not  all  together  when 
the  end  came,  but  oh  the  joy  of  that  reunited  fam- 
ily around  the  throne  above ! 

After  Helper  Li's  work  at  Fu  Ho,  he  was  called 
to  a  larger  and  more  important  place  (Gung-lo- 
tien),  and  here  he  cared  for  the  little  flock  with 
untiring  love  and  faithfulness  for  ten  years.  We 
do  well  to  try  to  realize  what  a  term  of  ten  years 
in  such  a  ministry  means.  The  preaching,  the  teach- 
ing, the  visitation,  the  administration  of  ordin- 
ances, the  performance  of  marriage  and  funeral 
ceremonies — these  we  understand  in  the  West. 
But  in  a  Chinese  pastorate  there  is  the  additional 
burden  of  personal,  family,  financial  and  social 
affairs,  inevitable  in  China,  but  entirely  unknown 
with  us. 

He  strengthened  th^  faith  and  courage  of  his 
people.  By  faithful  preaching  and  a  beautiful  life, 
he  drew  many  more  to  the  Saviour,  and  with  great 
tact  he  adjusted  the  misunderstandings  and 
troubles  of  his  bishopric.  Not  only  so.  He  went 
out  into  the  surrounding  villages,  in  true  apostolic 
fashion,  and  taught  with  zeal  the  doctrine  of  eter- 
nal life.  And  here  he  was  working  when  the 
tragic  end  came. 

Two  of  the  missionary  ladies  were  there  only 
three  weeks  before,  and  his  great  anxiety  was  for 


152         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

them;  he  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  last  night 
of  their  stay,  on  the  roof  of  the  house  watching, 
expecting  a  mob  before  morning.  He  hurried  us 
off  early  in  the  morning. 

He  well  knew  the  danger,  but  was  unwilling, 
himself,  to  leave  the  flock.  Affairs  grew  more 
threatening.  Only  a  short  distance  away  a  helper 
and  some  Christians  were  murdered.  Now  he  real- 
ized that  it  was  his  duty  to  get  away,  if  possible. 
He  took  his  wife  with  her  three-weeks-old  baby, 
and  his  three  other  children,  and  went  about  col- 
lecting the  members  of  his  church.  Then  he  started 
with  this  precious  company  for  Tung  Chow. 

Not  far  out  the  Boxers  surrounded  them.  Mr. 
Li,  his  wife  and  the  four  children  were  all  cruelly 
murdered.  Of  the  party,  only  two  or  three  es- 
caped. Thus  died  for  his  faith,  our  beloved 
helper — and  what  a  true  helper  he  was!  He  went 
to  receive  his  crown.  How  true  it  was  that  he 
carried  his  sheaves  with  him. 

What  a  joy  it  must  have  been  that  day,  as  he 
stood  before  his  Lord,  to  present  that  little  com- 
pany as  those  whom  his  Saviour  had  permitted  him 
to  lead  out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  now  to 
stand  in  the  very  glorious  presence  of  Cod  himself, 
there  to  receive  the  crown  he  had  so  often  told 
them  was  waiting  for  those  Avho  believed  and  were 
faithful  unto  death. 

As  a  man  his  faitlifulnoss  was  remarkable.  And 
even  when  a  chihl  in  a  Chinese  school  he  shoAved 
great  love  for  his  books.     After  becoming  a  Chris- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         153 

tian,  the  Bible  was  his  delight.  He  studied  it  as 
for  hidden  treasures,  and  thus  was  qualified  to  be 
an  excellent  instructor  in  Bible  truth.  He  was 
also  distinguished  as  a  man  of  prayer;  he  believed 
this  was  the  source  of  power  for  all  Christians. 
He  has  gone  from  us,  but  he  will  live,  not  onl}^ 
enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  his  associates,  but  in  the 
affections  of  the  remaining  Christians,  as  well  as 
of  those  outsiders  to  whom  he  had  shown  his  loving 
character  and  life.  ''Be  thou  faithful  unto  death, 
and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 


OHAPTEK    XIII. 
Kev.  Kwan  Loy. 

[AutobiogTaphical.  ] 

I  am  a  native  of  Nan-Hai  prefecture.  M}^  father 
was  a  business  man,  with  a  fish-shop.  My  father 
prospered  in  business,  and  had  built  three  houses — 
one  each,  for  us — three  brothers. 

At  seven  I  entered  school,  where  I  studied  for 
eight  years.  I  then  entered  the  high  school,  and 
remained  there  for  two  3  ears.  The  number  of 
students  was  large,  and  although  I  was  the  most 
mischievous  among  them,  my  teacher  took  me  for 
a  good  boy. 

I  then  clerked  in  my  father's  store  for  a  year, 
when  he  ordered  me  to  America.  Altogether,  with- 
in fifty-six  years,  that  is,  from  my  birth  in  1845 
to  the  present,  I  have  crossed  the  Pacific  four 
times. 

The  first  time  I  lived  among  the  Indians,  and 
later,  not  far  from  Vancouver.  Here  I  remained 
for  two  years,  and  every  day  went  to  the  shore  to 
dig  for  gold  in  the  sands.  But  this  was  poor  pay, 
so  I  went  to  Portland,  and  then  from  place  to 
place  for  two  years  more,  with  sad  heart  and  empty 
pockets. 

My  uncle  now  ordered  me  to  return  to  China, 
and  I  had  to  sell  ray  bedding  and  what  little  fur- 

164 


REV.  KWAN  LOl.  CANTON,  CHINA. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         157 

niture  I  had,  to  get  the  necessary  money.  I  mar- 
ried soon  after  reaching  the  home  land. 

My  heart  burns  within  me  when  I  remember 
those  years  in  which  I  beat  aimlessly  about  the 
world.  No  one  seemed  to  care  for  or  pity  me. 
I  can  see,  hoAvever,  how  the  grace  of  God  was 
in  it  all.  For  he  knew  the  roughness  and  crudeness 
of  my  character  and  gave  me  these  hardships  to 
train  me  and  make  me,  if  possible,  a  fit  vessel  for 
his  use,  to  put  down  my  pride,  and  mould  me  into 
a  useful  man. 

I  went  back  to  America  in  1868,  and  this  time 
I  strained  every  nerve  tO'  make  mone}^  I  got 
twenty-five  dollars  a  month.  For  four  years  I 
sent  every  dollar  I  could  get,  home.  At  the  end 
of  four  years,  I  got  the  disheartening  news  that  my 
father  was  dead,  and  had  left  debts  behind  him. 
My  sorrows  seemed  more  than  I  could  bear,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  it  were  better  for  me  to  leave  such 
a  world. 

On  the  Sabbath  day  I  went  for  a  walk  along  a 
quiet  street.  I  saw  a  Chinese  enter  a  church,  and 
I  folloAved  him.  A  foreigner  asked  me  if  I  brought 
any  books  to  study.  I  replied  that  I  had  no  books, 
and  no  money  to  buy.  I  asked  permission  to  read 
the  Chinese  scrolls  and  Avritings  on  the  Avails. 

I  read  the  Turd's  Prayer  and  the  Apostles'  Creed 
and  the  Commandments — the  latter  made  me  feel 
very  guilty.  Then  there  were  the  hymns.  One  par- 
ticularly, "Jesus,  Wash  Away  My  Sins,"  made  a 
great  impression.    Even  as  I  stood  there,  my  bur- 


158        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

dens  seemed  to  grow  lighter  and  my  sorrows  to 
partly  vanish.  When  leaving  the  church  I  appro- 
priated a  small  pamphlet  with  questions  and 
answers  written  out  in  simple  Chinese.  On  read- 
ing it  I  found  it  sweet  a®  honey. 

I  had  been  in  America  seven  years  before  enter- 
ing a  church.  I  now  joined  a  class  for  the  study 
of  English.  Rev.  A.  W.  Loomis  taught  me  my 
alphabet.  I  asked  him  to  baptize  me.  He  thought 
I  needed  more  instruction.  He  induced  me  to  buy 
a  Bible.  It  was  very  precious  to  me.  I  studied  it 
every  spare  moment.  My  eyes  fill  with  tears  of 
gratitude  and  thanksgiving  when  I  think  of  how 
God  led  me  at  this  time. 

About  this  time  I  went  to  San  Francisco,  and 
fell  in  with  some  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion men.  I  was  a  member  of  the  Junior  Associa- 
tion. They  introduced  me  to  a  convenient  church. 
I  was  baptized  in  July,  1873. 

Every  Saturday  evening  I  used  to  accompany  a 
preacher,  Mr.  Dantsung,  to  Oakland,  to  assist  him. 
He  said  he  wanted  me  to  go  because  of  my  ability 
in  debate  with  the  self-satisfied  Chinese  scholars. 

In  1874  Dr.  Loomis  aisked  me  to  take,  tempora- 
rily, the  work  of  another  minister,  Mr.  Ou-Yang,  of 
Sacramento.  I  replied  that  such  worlv  would  give 
me  great  joy,  but  that  I  did  not  feel  qualified. 
Then  he  asked  the  Chinese  brethren,  and  they  said 
tliey  knew  of  no  one  else.  Then  I  agreed  to  help 
until  some  one  else  should  be  found. 

In  the  daytime  I  preached  in  the  factories  and 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         159 

at  night  helped  in  the  school.  There  were  many 
who  remained  to  discuss  religious  topics.  On 
Sundays  I  preached  in  the  streets,  and  found  there 
were  many  opportunities  for  doing  good.  The  first 
year,  five  inquirers  were  converted  and  became 
members  of  the  church. 

Before  coming  here  I  received  thirty  dollars  a 
month,  but  now  got  twenty,  but  although  my  mas- 
ter urged  me,  I  did  not  feel  at  all  inclined  to 
return  to  him.  I  was  happy.  The  next  summer, 
four  more  men  were  converted.  God's  blessing  was 
upon  the  work. 

My  aged  mother  now  wanted  to  see  me.  But  I 
had  no  money  with  which  to  return  to  her.  The 
Sacramento  brethren,  hearing  of  it,  sent  me  two 
hundred  dollars  for  the  journey.  My  mother 
looked  upon  me  as  having  dropped  down  from 
heaven.  I  preached  to  her  and  all  my  relatives, 
but  they  doubted  me  and  my  teaching.  The  cred- 
itors of  my  father  became  so  troublesome  that  I 
escaped  to  the  city  of  Yang. 

Having  met  Rev.  Chas.  Preston,  he  asked  me  to 
go  with  him  into  the  city  of  Song-Mun,  to  help  him 
preach.  I  told  him  I  would  accompany  him  so  as 
to  hear  him  preach.  He  laughed,  and  said  if  I  was 
a  good  listener  I  could  probably  preach.  So  I 
helped  him  that  day,  and  when  we  returned  he 
asked  me  to  go  there  every  day.  He  was  such  a 
zealous  man  that  I  could  not  refuse,  and  so 
preached  in  that  city  for  some  months. 

When  I  went  home  after  this  I  noticed  that  the 


160  iLLUSTlilorS    (MlIXKSK    ClIUISTIANS. 

family  idols  were  not  in  their  accustomed  place. 
They  told  me  that  my  mother  had  ordered  them  re- 
jnoved  and  burned.  So  1  said  to  my  mother,  ''You 
know  how  to  throw  away  the  false  and  retain  the 
true."     And  we  knelt  in  prayer. 

Afterwards,  when  my  mother  fell  sick,  I  nursed 
her  for  two  months,  and  before  she  died  she  real- 
ized that  Christ  only  could  be  her  help.  After  the 
mourning  was  over,  I  went  to  my  post,  now  in 
charge  of  Rev.  B.  C.  Henry,  D.  D. 

I  was  now  chosen  as  an  elder  in  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  Canton.  Dr.  Henry  now^  di- 
rected me  to  work  in  my  native  place — Kiu-Kiang- 
Shu.  Dr.  Luk-Mai-tong  came  to  assist.  We  rented 
and  repaired  a  chapel.  Usually  I  preached  and 
then  Dr.  Luk  dispensed  medicines.  Great  crowds 
attended,  and  prospects  were  good. 

This  excited  the  ire  of  the  rich  men,  who  deter- 
mined to  drive  us  out.  First  they  sent  a  native 
doctor  to  us.  He  said  as  his  business  had  been 
ruined  by  us,  he  would  expect  us  to  keep  him  free 
of  charge.  We  replied  that  those  we  treated  free 
were  the  poor.  If  rich  people  came,  we  would 
charge  them  dearly.  ''Now  we  will  treat  the  poor 
and  you  can  treat  the  rich,  and  have  the  money." 
He  went  away  angry  and  spoke  evil  of  us. 

Then  the  rich  men  sent  my  sister-in-law  to  me, 
who  plead  with  me  to  leave  and  work  elsewhere. 
She  told  me  of  the  placards  which  were  posted  on 
the  walls  around  the  city  denouncing  me  and  using 
unutterably  bad  language  about  me.     I   replied 


Illustrious  Chinese  Ciikistians.         161 

that  I  had  utfeiided  uo  oue  aiid  thought  I  would 
remain. 

The  next  day  there  were  red  placards  on  the 
walls  telling  the  people  that  we  were  the  emis- 
saries of  foreigners,  exhorting  them  not  to  believe 
the  "spirit"  teaching,  and  to  prepare  themselves 
against  future  danger.  At  the  same  time  they 
offered  four  hundred  dollars  for  my  head.  But 
v\'e  went  on  preaching  and  healing. 

Four  days  afterwards  a  mob  broke  into  the 
premises.  One  of  the  men  said,  '^My  mother,  yes- 
terday, after  taking  some  of  your  medicine,  died." 
They  then  took  their  bamboos  and  smashed  all  the 
furniture.  Dr.  Luk  and  I  stood  looking  at  them, 
but  they  did  not  harm  us.  xlfter  this,  however,  1 
took  my  wife  away.  It  was  in  this  year  that  she, 
by  God's  grace,  was  converted. 

The  magistrate  repaired  the  chapel.  We  had 
been  in  it  about  a  month,  when  a  second  mob,  more 
fierce  than  the  first,  attacked  us.  Dr.  Luk  and  I 
had  to  escape  by  the  roof  to  save  our  lives.  We 
made  our  way  to  a  boat  in  the  river,  and  escaped 
to  Canton. 

Under  Dr.  Henry's  superintendence,  Dr.  Luk  and 
I  opened  work  in  the  city  of  Lan-chow.  Here  we 
preached  and  taught  and  made  itinerating  tours 
throughout  the  country. 

In  1881  I  wais  sent  to  Song-Mun  to  preach. 
Often  I  spoke  to  the  hospital  patients.  Two  years 
later,  the  First  Church  at  Canton  called  me  to  be 
their  minister.     Still  later,  the  Second  Presbyte- 


162         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

tian  Church  called  me,  and  there  I  remained  for 
seven  years. 

Then  the  old  church  at  Liu-Chew  sent  me  an 
urgent  invitation  to  become  their  pastor.  The  Sec- 
ond Church  did  not  seem  willing  to  release  me,  so 
I  had  to  decide  for  myself,  and  finally  went  to 
Liu-Chew.  Now  I  remained  here  ten  years.  Sam- 
Kong  and  Ling- Woo  are  near-by  places.  In  these 
three  places  under  my  charge,  during  this  time, 
the  number  of  believers  has  increased  to  180. 
Many  of  these  are  weak,  but  I  am  compelled  to 
think  that  my  own  weak  faith  and  imperfect  love 
are  largely  the  cause  of  this.  My  one  desire  in 
life  is  to  help  men  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour. 
And  though  I  meet  with  dangers,  and  feel  my  own 
weakness,  still,  by  God's  help,  I  will  go  on. 


OLD  WANG. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

Old  Wang, 
The  FoiNDER  of  Protestantism  in  Manchuria. 

Wang  Cliing  Ming,  or  W-ang  the  "Luminous," 
was,  in  1872,  a  commission  merchant  in  the  busy 
port  of  Xewchwang.  He  had  a  good  business, 
which  gaA^e  him  a  consderable  amount  of  leisure. 

For  3^ears  he  had  been  an  earnest  devotee  of  a 
strict  Buddhist  sect,  driven  thereto  by  a  sense  of 
sinfulness  and  a  desire  for  Buddhistic  peace,  if 
not  perfection.  Buddhism  was  the  most  pure  and 
earnest  of  any  of  the  religions  with  which  he  was 
then  acquainted.  He  was  following  the  light  as 
fast  as  it  broke  upon  him. 

He  purchased  a  copy  of  the  gospel,  but  was 
wholly  unable  to  understand  it,  though  he  gave 
much  time  to  its  study.  But  after  the  opening  of 
a  chapel  he  came  in  contact  with  the  preached 
Word,  which  is  more  easily  understood.  At  this 
time  he  was  so  engrossed  in  Scripture  study  that 
he  desisted  from  business  altogether.  As  soon  as 
he  grasped  the  meaning  of  the  gospel  message,  he 
became  a  believer. 

The  most  earnest  and  sincere  Buddhist  may  be 
an  opium  sot,  or  "opium  fiend,''  as  it  is  now  termed 

165 


166         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

in  San  Francisco.  Wang  was  a  heavy  smoker. 
Again  and  again  lie  resolved  and  vowed  to  renounce 
opium;  but  again  and  again  his  best  resolutions 
failed  before  the  torturing  craving  when  the  usual 
hour  for  the  pipe  came  round. 

Feeling  that  he  was  becoming  degraded  as  a  man, 
as  well  as  letting  slip  the  opportunity  of  becoming 
a  Christian,  he,  one  morning,  destroyed  all  of  his 
opium  utensils.  The  hour  came,  bringing  the  crav- 
ing. It  became  insupportable.  He  threw  himself 
upon  his  knees  and  prayed  for  deliverance.  The 
cruel  fight  went  on  for  three  days  and  nights;  but 
Wang,  by  his  prayers  and  resolution,  obtained  the 
victory.  He  never  smoked  opium  again.  He  be- 
came an  inquirer  and  in  due  course  was  baptized. 

Within  a  year  thereafter,  his  change  became  so 
apparent  that  his  younger  brother,  a  merchant  in 
Moukden,  heard  of  it,  and,  on  coming  to  see,  he 
learned  Christian  truth,  and  became  a  believer. 
Henceforth  the  elder  brother  was  known  as  "Old" 
Wang. 

He  went  at  once  to  preaching — ^such  an  ardent 
soul  could  do  nothing  else.  His  audiences  bitterly 
mocked  him.  He  replied  :  "Think  you  I  would  con- 
sent, for  the  paltry  sum  I  receive  from  the  for- 
eigner, to  stand  here  day  after  day  to  be  vilified 
and  taunted  by  you  as  a  traitor  to  my  country,  a 
demon's  slave,  a  foreigner,  and  such  other  names 
as  your  anger  invents?  I  am  no  follower  of  the 
foreigner.  The  foreigner  has  given  me  the  truth 
of  heaven,  and  that  truth  I  must  follow.     Let  the 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         167 

foreigner  depart ;  we  have  the  Bible,  and  we  know 
the  truth,  and  we  will  teach  and  repeat  it  if  there 
be  no  foreigners  in  the  land." 

He  was  a  man  of  such  fearless  enthusiasm  that 
from  the  first  he  seemed  to  be  chosen,  as  was 
Paul,  for  the  work  of  planting  the  church  among 
his  fellows.  Never  after  his  baptism  was  he  happy 
except  when  preaching.  Whether  to  one  or  to 
many,  to  rich  or  to  poor,  he  was  ever  not  only  ready, 
but  glad,  to  preach  to  any  willing  to  listen. 

Wang's  public  preaching  was  gentle,  kindly,  even 
beseeching,  showing  in  voice  and  manner  a  warm, 
sympathetic  heart,  and  a  yearning  over  the  souls 
of  men.  His  manner  with  young  men  was  specially 
engaging;  and  most  of  his  converts  were  of  this 
class. 

On  one  occasion,  three  missionaries,  two  of  whom 
he  had  not  seen  before,  walked  into  the  midst  of 
his  congregation.  As  his  eye  lighted  upon  them, 
it  beamed  with  pleasure.  With  a  warm  smile  he 
turned  towards  them,  bowing  gracefully,  and  then 
continued  his  discourse,  instead  of  abruptly  con- 
cluding, as  many  would  have  done. 

Once  a  young  missionary,  whom  Wang  esteemed 
very  highly,  called  in  at  the  latter's  chapel,  on  his 
way  to  Moukden.  Wang,  with  the  usual  pleasure 
with  which  he  welcomed  a  pastor,  at  once  produced 
a  teapot  and  green  tea  to  refresh  the  traveler.  While 
the  water  was  boiling,  a  man  came  intO'  the  front 
chapel  to  buy  a  Christian  book.  Wang  went  with 
the  book  to  the  man,  and,  in  his  eagerness  to  ex- 


168         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

pound  the  way  of  salvation,  continued  to  preach  to 
him  long  after  the  water  had  boiled,  teapot  and  tea 
having  been  entirely  forgotten. 

The  first  station  opened  out  from  Newchwang, 
that  of  Tappingslian,  was  opened  by  Old  Wang. 
He  first  opened  a  school,  and  after  two  months  of 
waiting  with  an  empty  schoolroom  (owing  to  fear 
and  prejudice),  he  was  rewarded  by  the  appearance 
of  three  boys  as  students,  and  soon  the  confidence 
of  the  people  was  gained.  Many  months  of  Chris- 
tian instruction  had  not  been  given  to  the  villagers 
before  two  husbands  and  their  wives  became  appli- 
cants for  baptism,  one  couple  stating  that  they  had 
never  believed  in  idols. 

The  hungry  and  needy  never  appealed  to  him  in 
vain.  When  summer  came  it  transpired  that  Wang 
had  paid  three  months  of  his  own  wages  to  such 
needy  ones,  whom  he  set  to  improve  the  roads  of 
the  village.  This  habit  he  continued,  so  much  so 
that  he  was  himself  often  in  need  of  clothes.  And 
one  could  see  that  this  impulsive  generosity,  which 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  eat  if  ^a  hungry  man 
was  near,  was  precisely  the  same  which  made  him 
the  earnest  and  fearless  preacher. 

During  his  merchant  days  he  had  cut  himself 
off  from  his  own  people.  But  now  he  began  to  send 
money  to  his  mother  and  wife,  for  whose  conversion 
he  was  anxious.  A  younger  brother,  away  on  the 
Mongolian  plains,  heard  of  these  gifts  of  money 
from  one  who  was  to  the  family  as  if  dead.  Won- 
dering what  the  pew  religion  was  which  had  con- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         1G9 

verted  his  brother  from  an  opium  sot  to  a  dutiful 
son,  he  came  all  the  way  to  Ncwchwan^j^  to  see.  The 
result  was  that  he,  too,  became  a  Christian. 

He  afterwards  opened  work  in  Moukden,  the  cap- 
ital, where  almost  every  citizen  was  an  opponent. 
By  his  wisdom,  tact,  humilit}^  earnestness,  knowl- 
edge and  zeal,  he  made  a  great  impression.  Through 
him,  largely,  the  church  of  Christ  took  shape  in  this 
important  city. 

But  he  met  with  strong  and  bitter  opposition. 
The  people  believed  that  the  missionary  formed  the 
vanguard  of  foreign  aggression.  They "  believed 
that  Christianity  was  a  political  system.  Many  ex- 
ponents of  this  doctrine  manifested  themselves  in 
Moukden.  A  band  of  clever,  well-dressed  young 
gentlemen  went  daily  to  tlie  chapel  to  pester  the 
preachers,  publicly  avowing  the  design  of  driving 
Christianity  out  of  the  Manchu  citadel.  "Never!" 
they  shouted,  "never  will  there  be  a  convert  in 
this  city  while  one  of  us  lives.  We  will  have  no 
traitors  in  this  city."  For  a  year  this  defensive 
work  went  on,  when  it  began  to  slowly  gain  momen- 
tum. 

Wang  also  began  work  in  Liaoyang,  where  his 
name  and  influence  remain  prominent  to  this  day. 
The  Manchus  here  tried  the  same  tactics  as  at 
Moukden,  but  the  result  was  the  same,  in  the  end. 
Neither  ridicule,  anger  nor  throwing  dead  cats  into 
the  chapel  could  prevent  the  bold  herald  of  the  gos- 
pel from  establishing  the  cause  of  truth  in  the  city. 
Either  directly,  or  through  the  influence  of  those 


170         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

broug-lit  into  the  church  by  him,  he  was  more  than 
any  other  man  instrumental  in  spreading  the  gospel 
and  beginning  preachingnstations  throughout  Man- 
churia. 

He  passed  away  some  years  ago,  but  not  before 
he  saw  many  men  of  a  spirit  kindred  to  his  own 
enter  into  and  zealously  extend  the  boundaries  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  More  than  to  any  other 
human  instrumentality,  the  church  in  Manchuria 
0A\  es  its  existence  and  aggressive  character  to  "Old 
Wang." 

But  his  last  days  were  approaching.  Opium  had 
in  earlier  years  undermined  his  constitution.  He 
grew  weaker  and  weaker,  but  in  his  heart  was,  as 
he  declared,  "peace,  unbroken  peace.'' 

And  so  he  lay,  dying.  But,  even  dying,  he  must 
preach,  and  by  some  miracle  of  strength  he  would 
actually  leave  his  couch  and  reach  the  chapel  door, 
where  he  would  exhort  the  passers-by  to  repent  land 
believe.  This  was  after  he  stated  that  he  was  soon 
to  die,  and  had  given  minute  directions  about  all 
his  affairs.  It  was  a  most  extraordinary  sight.  A 
young  missionary  standing  by,  his  eyes  full  of  tears 
— as  were  those  of  many  more — said,  in  moving 
away  from  the  affecting  sight,  "Isn't  it  grand?" 
Still  he  went  on.  After  many  ineffectual  attempts 
to  induce  him  to  stop,  he  said,  "It  is  finished,"  and 
at  last  sat  down. 

In  the  house  he  was  surrounded  by  friends, 
mother,  brother,  and  sons'  wives.  In  China  it  is  a 
universal  custom,  as  the  spirit  departs,  to  clothe 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         171 

the  body  in  the  finest  clothes  it  is  possible  to  pur- 
chase. They  think  the  spirit  is  clad  in  the  other 
world  with  the  same  quality  and  kind  of  clothing 
in  which  it  abandons  the  body.  Old  Wang's  cloth- 
ing had  been  purchased  and  made,  and  he  was 
asked  while  he  could  yet  speak,  whether  he  would 
be  clad  in  these.  His  reply  was,  "Jesus  is  my  new 
robe."  After  saying  which,  in  broken  syllables,  he 
gently  passed  away. 

This  man,  his  character,  and  his  whole-hearted 
devotion  prove  in  what  direction  is  to  be  sought  the 
agency  which  is  to  bring  China  to  Christ.  He  had 
been  only  two  or  three  years  in  school.  He  read 
his  Bible  fluently.  He  had,  and  craved,  no  further 
learning.  But  he  was  a  man  full  of  faith,  and 
under  the  guidance  of  the  spirit  of  holiness  and  of 
love.  He  possessed,  therefore,  more  than  all  the 
schools  of  worldly  learning  could  ever  bestow  upon 
him. 

His  own  mother,  weeping,  followed  his  unwieldy 
coffin  to  the  grave,  into  which  it  was  lowered  by 
the  hands  and  with  the  tears  of  many  who  were  by 
his   means   brought    "from   darkness   into   light." 

When  such  men  are  multiplied  by  hundreds, 
the  children  of  China  will  become  the  sons  of  God. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Blind  Chang. 

^^Blind  Chiang,  of  Tai-ping-gow/'  is  a  character 
well  known  throughout  Manchuria.  He  was  not 
always  blind.  His  eye  had  been  as  sharp  as  his 
tongue  was  nimble.  He  was  a  notable  gambler 
and  a  clever  fortune-teller.  But  his  eyesight  gave 
way  while  he  was  yet  a  young  man.  At  this  time 
he  came  in  contact  with  a  Christian  who  told  him 
of  the  wonderful  cures  of  the  blind — or  virtually 
blind — effected  by  Dr.  Christy  in  Moukden.  At 
length  he  resolved  to  go ;  and  where  Chang  resolved 
to  go,  he  would  find  his  way,  however  long  the 
journey  or  arduous  the  path. 

After  great  hardships  by  the  way — he  had  trav- 
eled a  hundred  miles  and  had  been  robbed  of  all 
his  mone}^  on  the  road — he  presented  himself  in  the 
hospital  in  Moukden.  He  was  kept  there  several 
days  and  treated,  but  ultimately  informed  that 
his  sight  was  gone  irrecoverably.  Necessarily  he 
grieved,  but  not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  For 
meantime  he  had  heard,  in  the  hospital,  the  doc- 
trines of  grace.  He  attended  the  meetings  in  the 
chapel  in  the  missionary's  compound,  and  had  be- 
come a  believer.  Never  had  there  been  a  patient 
in   that   hospital   who   received   the  gospel    with 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         175 

such  joy,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  he  grasped 
the  leading  truths  of  Christianity  was  remarkable. 

Before  going  back  home  with  his  uncured  eyes, 
he  sought  baptism.  The  period  of  probation  then 
demanded  prior  to  baptism  would  not  admit  of  this ; 
and  for  his  rejection  he  seemed  to  sorrow  more 
than  for  his  lost  sight.  He  was  comforted  by  the 
information  that  the  missionary  would  visit  his 
home  some  months  after  he  should  have  gone.  The 
missionary,  Rev.  James  Webster,  went  in  due 
course  to  the  "Valley  of  Peace,"  and  found  Blind 
Chang,  but  not  alone. 

As  soon  as  he  returned  to  his  home  he  had  begun 
to  preach,  in  his  ceaseless  eloquence,  the  doctrines 
Of  salvation  which  he  had  learned  in  the  capital. 
He  took  his  station  under  the  largest  elm  in  the 
valley,  beneath  whose  shade,  in  the  summer,  num- 
bers of  the  people  found  a  pleasant  retreat  from  the 
glaring  heat.  That  tree  was  afterwards  purchased 
along  with  the  house  to  which  it  was  attached,  as 
the  site  of  the  first  church  and  school  in  the  wide 
county  of  Mai-mai-kai. 

He  had  been  well  known  in  his  own  village  as  a 
gambler  and  everything  that  was  bad,  so  that  on 
his  return  people  laughed  at  his  new  religion.  "It 
is  all  very  well  for  him  to  reform,"  they  said,  "for 
he  can  not  gamble  without  his  eyes."  But  nothing 
could  shake  his  faith  in  Christ,  and  soon  it  became 
evident  that  it  was  no  passing  fancy,  but  that  a 
lasting  change  had  been  produced  in  his  life. 

From  the  first  he  preached  with  great  power. 


176        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

Some  of  the  neighbors  ridiculed  him  as  mad;  but 
an  intelligent  farmer  who  had  been  reading  the 
Bible  in  his  family  for  years  without  understand- 
ing it  much,  stood  up  for  the  blind  man  and  insisted 
that  he  should  be  heard,  as  no  one  was  compelled 
to  believe  his  doctrine  against  his  will. 

This  farmer,  along  with  quite'a  number  of  other 
men,  became  believers,  and  Avere  ultimately  bap- 
tized by  Mr.  Webster. 

Guided  by  his  staff.  Blind  Chang  went  from  vil- 
lage to  village  preaching  the  Word  of  Life,  where 
he  was  formerly  known  as  the  cleverest  gambler 
and  with  the  keenest  tongue  in  the  neighborhood. 

In  his  native  village  and  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood the  church  now  numbers  hundreds.  Many  of 
these  have  never  seen  the  blind  man,  but  well  might 
one  of  them  say,  ^^Had  Chang-shun  never  been  blind 
there  might  have  been  no  Christians  here  yet.'' 

He  had  many  faults,  but  his  zeal  never  grew  cold, 
and  as  an  evangelist  for  breaking  new  ground 
there  had  not  been  his  superior.  In  an  ever-in- 
creasing radius  he  shed  the  light  which  was  the  joy 
of  his  own  heart.  He  received  no  salary,  but  his 
flock  gave  him  a  willing  support.  And  when  he 
needed  new  clothes  the  women  gladly  made  them 
for  him.  He  miade  himself  a  member  of  his  people's 
families: — living  at  each  house  in  turn. 

He  liad  committed  whole  books  of  the  Bible  to 
memory;  and  always  had  a  great  stock  of  questions 
or  texts  wliich  he  did  not  quite  understand,  when 
the  missionary  came  to  the  station.     He  had  his 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        177 

failings;  among  tliem  was  one  not  unknown  to 
strong  men.  He  had  the  most  unquestioning  cer- 
tainty in  his  own  belief,  his  own  expositions,  and 
his  own  opinions.  There  were  even  missionaries 
from  whom  he  refused  to  take  instruction,  so  as  to 
change  his  exposition. 

Prom  his  Buddhistic  daj^s  he  had  great  faith  in 
control  over  the  appetite  for  food  as  evidence  of  the 
strength  of  the  spiritual  nature.  Both  he,  his  sister 
and  others,  declared  that  he  sat  in  his  sister's  house 
thirty  days  without  food,  stating  that  no  food 
would  cross  his  lips  until  she  became  a  believer, 
xlnd  a  believer  she  did  become,  moved  thereto  by 
the  dread  of  being  the  cause  of  her  brother's  death 
by  starvation. 

In  many  a  mountain  hamlet,  among  the  beautiful 
mountains  of  the  southeast  of  Kirin  Province,  and 
in  miany  an  isolated  farmhouse  on  the  sloping  sides 
of  those  luxuriant  hills,  did  Blind  Chang  introduce 
the  Word  which  is  a  lamp  to  the  feet  and  a  light  to 
the  path.  Large  numbers  through  him  entered  the 
church.  And,  curiously  enough,  most  of  them  have 
suffered  spiritually  from  the  defect  of  Blind  Chang 
in  retaining  much  of  his  Buddhistic  spirit  enfolded 
in  the  strength  of  his  Christian  faith. 

He  was  not  permitted  to  sleep  quietly  away. 
He  went  to  his  rest  in  la  manner  far  more  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  own  fiery,  impetuous  nature. 
The  ^^Boxer"  movement  had  spread  the  flames  of 
hatred  and  revenge  far  and  wide.  Christians  must 
suffer  because  associated  with  foreigners.    Ere  this 


178         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

fearful  anti-foreign  wave  of  destruction  should  re- 
cede, thousands  of  native  Christians*  must  pay 
the  penalty  of  discipleship  with  their  lives.  The 
story  of  their  fortitude  reads  like  a  chapter  from 
the  history  of  tlie  early  martyrs. 

Blind  Chano  and  another  Christian  were  seized 
and  brought  before  the  magistrate.  The  magis- 
trate, like  most  in  Manchuria,  was  unwilling  to 
take  life,  and  exhorted  the  men  to  sign  a  form  of 
denial  of  the  Christian  faith  by  which  they  could 
save  themselves  alive.  Terror  overcame  the  other 
man,  and  he  lied  against  hm  conscience  to  save  his 
life. 

Those  who  knew  him  were  not  surprised  to  learn 
that  Blind  Chang  would  not  accept,  in  any  form, 
or  to  any  extent,  any  words  which  seemed  to  imply 
a  denial  of  his  Christianity.  Sentenced  to  execu- 
tion, he  knelt  and  prayed ;  and  while  praying  ^'Lord 
Jesus,  receive  my  spirit,''  he  was  beheaded — and  so 
went  home. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Zealous  Evangelist. 
Elder  Wang. 

Elder  Wang  was  born  at  Fu-san,  ten  miles  west 
of  Chefoo,  in  1826.  From  eight  to  twenty  years  of 
age  he  spent  continuously  at  school.  His  uncle,  a 
man  of  high  literary  attainments,  was  for  many 
years  his  teacher.  After  leaving  school,  he  taught 
upwards  of  ten  years,  and  at  the  same  time  contin- 
ued his  studies  of  the  Chinese  classics.  He  mem- 
orized them  so  thoroughly  that  they  never  faded 
from  his  memory.  His  mind  became  so  tinctured 
with  the  teaching  of  the  Chinese  sages,  that  he 
gloried  in  being  a  Confucianist  of  "the  straitest 
secf 

He  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  ancestral  worship. 
A  distinguished  ancestry,  recording  names  of  men 
eminent  for  scholarship  and  holding  high  positions 
in  the  Government,  made  him  highly  pdze  Ms 
birthright  privileges. 

Failing  to  secure  the  literary  degree  necessary 
to  secure  ofl&cial  position, -he  decided  that  in  order 
to  secure  a  competence  for  old  age  he  must  seek 
some  other  calling  than  that  of  schoolteacher. 
After  extensive  travel,  during  which  he  gained 
valuable  experience,  he  opened  a  small  store  in 

181 


182         l^^LUSTKious  Chinese  Christians. 

Chefoo.  It  was  while  here  that  Mr.  Wong  Tsay, 
our  first  convert  and  preacher,  made  his  acquaint- 
ance. These  men  resembled  each  other  in  many 
particulars  and  soon  became  fast  friends.  Both 
were  stoutly  built,  and  much  above  the  average 
size,  and  of  commanding  presence.  They  were  men 
of  superior  education,  and  had  been  teachers  in 
early  life.  They  both  had  strong  wills  and  a  per- 
fect hatred  of  guile. 

Wong  Tsay  daily  passed  the  store  going  to 
preach  in  the  street  chapel.  Times  almost  without 
number  he  stopped  in  the  store  to  tell  of  Jesus  and 
of  salvation  in  his  name.  Wang  Pao  Kwei  (for 
that  was  Elder  Wang's  full  name)  always  treated 
his  friend  with  the  utmost  politeness,  but  showed 
his  loyalty  by  utterly  refusing  to  investigate  any 
religion  that  claims  superiority  to,  or  even  equality 
with,  Confucianism. 

But  one  day  Wang  seemed  to  awake  as  from  a 
dream.  The  thought  came  into  his  mind,  surely 
Wong  Tsay  can  have  no  selfish  motive  in  being  so 
deeply  concerned  about  the  salvation  of  my  soul. 
He  resolved  to  make  his  first  visit  to  the  chapel  and 
there  investigate  the  truth.  Much  of  the  afternoon 
was  spent  in  asking  questions  and  listening.  He 
received  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament.  He  began 
i(^  study,  learned  to  pray,  came  to  the  church  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  soon  became  deeply  interested  in 
Christianity. 

At  times  intense  anguish  filled  his  heart  as  he 
thought  of  what  it  meant  in  his  case  to  become  a 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         183 

Christian.  His  kindred  and  friends  would  despise 
him  and  regard  him  as  an  apostate  unworthy  to 
live.  He  continued,  however,  to  study  and  pray. 
Soon  the  conviction  took  hold  of  his  mind  that  he 
was  a  wretched  sinner,  and  there  was  no  hope  for 
him  but  to  accept  free  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ.  As  soon  as  persuaded  of  this,  he  yielded 
his  whole  heart  to  .Jesus,  made  a  public  profession 
of  faith,  and  received  baptism.  From  that  day  on- 
ward his  faith  never  wavered,  and  he  loyally  and 
faithfully  strove  to  follow  in  his  Saviour's  foot- 
steps, and  to  win  others  for  Christ. 

A  few  days  before  his  death,  when  speaking  of 
the  time  he  united  with  the  church,  he  said  the 
thought  of  all  Jesus  did  to  save  him  so  stirred  his 
soul  that  he  often  felt  it  would  have  been  a  great 
privilege  to  have  been  permitted  to  give  his  life 
for  Jesus.  And  that  often  since  then  he  had  prayed 
that  if  he  could  glorify  Jesus  more  by  suffering 
martyrdom  than  by  his  life,  that  he  hoped  the 
opportunity  might  be  given,  and  with  it  the  needed 
grace  and  courage. 

He  became  a  personal  teacher  and  helper  for 
one  of  the  missionaries.  Subsequently  he  taught 
successfully  a  girls'  mission  school.  When  study 
hour»s  were  over,  he  almost  daily  assisted  in  preach- 
ing in  the  street  chapel,  in  the  street,  or  wherever 
men  were  found.  From  the  first  he  was  a  dilige^it 
student  of  God's  word,  and  so  continued  to  the  end 
of  his  life.  The  lofty  morals  of  the  Bible  had  for 
him  a  peculiar  charm.     He  believed  with  all  his 


184        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

heart  that  the  Bible  is  God's  message  to  sinful  men 
and  truly  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every 
believer  and  doer  of  it.  Having  a  retentive  mem- 
ory, he  became  mighty  in  the  Scripture.  He  med- 
itated upon  it  day  and  night  till  his  mind  became 
so  permeated  that  his  preaching,  praying  and  con- 
versation made  all  feel  that  the  truth  had  taken 
possession  of  him,  and  that  he  was  pre-eminently 
a  spiritually  minded  man. 

During  the  last  eighteen  years  he  gave  his  time 
exclusively  to  evangelistic  work.  He  made  long 
journeys,  extending  over  hundreds  of  miles,  preach- 
ing and  distributing  books  and  tracts  at  the  mar- 
kets, and  the  towns  and  villages  by  the  way. 

His  favorite  method  of  work  was  to  select  some 
center  where  there  were  a  few  Christians  and  in- 
quirers, rent  a  house  where  he  could  live,  have 
people  daily  meet  with  him  for  worship  and  study, 
and,  as  opportunity  offered,  itinerate  and  preach  in 
the  surrounding  villages.  At  every  place  he  thus 
labored,  God's  blessing  crowned  his  efforts,  souls 
were  saved,  believers  grew  in  grace  and  more  fully 
realized  the  living  reality  of  God's  word. 

He  first  went  to  a  center  more  than  two  hundred 
miles  in  the  interior,  where  there  were  a  few  con- 
verts lately  from  the  ranks  of  heathenism  greatly 
needing  instruction  and  careful  shepherding.  In 
a  short  time  he  won  their  love  and  confidence.  The 
heathen  neighbors  came  to  look  upon  him  with 
respect,  and  as  a  man  honest,  faithful  and  con- 
scientious,   upon    whom    they    could    rely.      The 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         185 

Christians  in  two  adjoining  villages  were  soon  per- 
suaded to  cast  away  jealousy  and  rivalry,  and  meet 
in  one  place  for  Sabbath  service.  New  converts 
were  added.  Bj  contributions  of  money  and  labor 
involving  much  ^elf-denial,  some  selling  land  and 
giving  beyond  their  strength,  a  beautiful  little 
church  building  was  erected  and  a  church  organ- 
ized, which  soon  grew  to  a  membership  of  three 
hundred  communicants. 

After  remaining  about  three  years,  Mr.  Wang 
felt  that  the  people  were  able  to  get  on  without  his 
help,  and  that  he  was  more  needed  elsewhere.  An 
earnest  effort  was  made  to  retain  him,  but  without 
avail.  When  he  left,  the  Christians  united  in  giv- 
ing him  presents,  and  escorted  him  a  long  distance 
beyond  the  village,  and  did  all  they  could  to  show 
him  honor. 

At  another  center,  where  there  were  probably 
twenty  Christians  and  inquirers,  he  spent  nearly 
two  years.  Many  of  the  people,  after  working  all 
day  on  their  farms,  met  every  evening  in  Mr. 
Wang's  room  for  the  special  study  of  the  Bible. 

On  one  occasion,  after  an  evening  service,  Mr. 
Wang  said  to  me,  "I  do  not  wish  to  tire  you,  but  I 
wish  you  to  see  how  differently  the  Chrisrtians 
spend  their  evenings  than  in  former  times,  when 
they  often  met  to  drink  wine  and  gamble.''  He 
called  on  a  Mr.  Fan,  of  perhaps  fifty  years  of  age, 
saying,  "Give  us  the  story  of  Abraham."  Mr.  Fan 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  with  great  fluency  and  clear- 
ness gave  the  outline  of  Abraham's  life  and  some 


186        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

of  the  lessons  he  thought  we  should  all  heed. 
Another  was  called  on  to  tell  about  Daniel,  another 
about  the  apostle  Paul.  Thus  they  continued  until 
near  midnight,  all  listening  with  as  much  apparent 
interest  as  if  they  were  hearing  for  the  first  time. 
As  I  had  an  appointment  requiring  me  to  leave  at 
daybreak,  I  felt  constrained  to  request  them  to 
postpone  until  my  next  visit. 

At  still  another  center,  during  less  than  two 
years'  residence,  more  than  thirty  were  received 
into  the  church  on  profession  of  faith ;  one  of  them 
a  widow  of  seventy-nine,  another  a  man  of  eighty- 
eight  years.  Mr.  Wang  also  assisted  the  people 
there  in  erecting  a  church  and  school  building. 

Mr.  Wang  had  a  wonderful  love  for  children  and 
youth,  and  the  power  of  winning  them  for  friends. 
It  was  to  him  r.  joy  to  select  promising  youths  who 
were  in  destitute  circumstances,  and  aid  them  in 
securing  an  education.  He  was  an  intelligent  ad- 
vocate of  Christian  education  for  both  boys  and 
girls.  At  his  funeral,  several  of  the  preachers  and 
teachers  testified  with  deep  feeling  what  a  friend 
they  had  found  in  him  in  their  school  days  and  hovr 
much  they  owed  to  his  sympathy  and  help.  Chris- 
tian teaching,  training,  and  safe-guarding  the 
young  was  his  chief  hope  for  China.  He  gave  spe- 
cial thanks  for  God's  people  in  Christian  lands,  who 
gave  of  their  means  and  prayed  for  China's  conver- 
sion. 

During  the  last  three  months  of  his  illness  he 
took  much  pleasure  in  watching  from  his  door  the 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         187 

erection  of  a  new  school  building.  He  often  ex- 
horted the  workmen  to  do  honest  .and  faithful 
work,  as  they  were  working  for  God,  and  for 
coming  generations. 

Soon  after  his  conversion,  he  removed  his  wife 
from  the  old  homestead  in  the  midst  of  heathen 
influences  to  Chefoo,  Avhere  she  could  have  an  op- 
portunity of  learning  the  truth.  His  kind  and 
gentle  manner,  in  striking  contrast  to  the  stern- 
ness of  former  years,  made  her  willing  to  listen  to 
his  teaching.  Her  heart  was  soon  opened  to  re- 
ceive the  truth.  During  the  following  three  years, 
she  lived  a  beautiful  Christian  life,  and  then  died 
a  triumphant  death. 

It  was  a  great  and  constant  grief  to  Mr.  Wang 
that  none  of  his  kindred  were  Christians.  For 
them  he  often  wept,  and  daily  prayed,  and  died  in 
the  hope  that  God  would  answer  his  prayer  after  he 
was  gone. 

He  received  a  salary  of  five  dollars  a  month, 
but  always  traveled  on  foot,  lived  and  dressed  so 
economically  that  he  was  able  to  save  about  one- 
half  of  his  salary  for  charitable  purposes.  Like 
many  Chinese  students,  he  had  read  medical  books, 
and  always  kept  a  supply  of  medicine,  which  he 
gave  freely  to  all  in  need.  He  wrote  a  tract  con- 
taining a  brief  outline  of  the  plan  of  salvation,  and 
had  it  cut  on  a  block,  which  he  often  carried  with 
him  on  his  journeys.  If  his  supply  of  tracts  failed, 
he  could  always  find  a  printer  and  have  a  new 
edition.    It  is  said  that  on  more  than  one  occasion 


188         Illustrious  Chinese  (JHitrsTiANS. 

in  cold  weather  when  he  found  some  one  suffering 
with  the  cold,  he  took  off  one  of  his  own  outer  gar- 
ments and  presented  it. 

A  few  days  before  his  death,  he  sent  word  that 
he  had  a  message  for  Dr.  Corbett's  son,  Charles 
When  Charles  went  to  see  him,  he  presented  him 
with  a  beautiful  picture  of  Christ — ^^The  Good 
Shepherd" — ^and  said  to  him,  ^^I  have  long  been 
earnestly  praying  for  you  and  your  brothers  that 
God  would  spare  your  lives,  give  you  wisdom  and 
grace,  and  call  you  to  be  missionaries  and  under- 
shepherds  for  our  people." 

After  he  was  unable  to  walk,  he  requested  to  bt 
carried  to  church,  so  long  as  he  was  able  to  sit  in 
a  reclining  chair,  saying  it  did  him  so  much  good 
to  join  with  God's  people  in  worship. 

Mr.  Wang  had  a  remarkably  cheerful  disposi- 
tion. When  persecuted  and  wronged,  he  bore  it 
patiently.     He  harbored  no  malice. 

He  had  a  strong  desire  to  live  longer  and  work 
for  Christ.  When  the  physician  told  him  his  dis- 
ease was  incurable,  he  submitted  without  a  mur- 
mur. When  he  realized  that  his  end  was  near,  he 
employed  carpenters  to  bring  timber  and  make 
his  coftin  in  front  of  his  door,  so  that  he  could  super- 
intend and  personally  direct  the  work.  He  had  it 
made  of  pine  planks  of  great  thickness,  so  that  it 
weighed  more  than  six  hundred  pounds.  He  had 
a  friend  write  in  large  characters,  to  be  placed  in 
the  coffin,  the  idea  expressed  in  ^^Looking  for  that 
blessed  hope  and  glorious  appearing  of  the  great 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         189 

God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  He  asked  to 
have  the  Bible  and  hymn-booli  he  had  studied  for 
many  years  put  into  the  coffin  with  his  body. 

When  the  sun  was  setting  on  Sabbath  evening, 
and  the  church  bell  was  ringing  for  evening  service, 
he  asked  to  be  carried  into  the  open  air  that  he 
might  have  another  glimpse  of  the  church  and 
school  buildings,  and  the  blue  sky,  which  had  such 
a  charm  for  him  all  during  his  illness.  After  some 
moments  of  upward  gazing — one  of  his'  attendants 
said — looking  as  Stephen  did  to  see  his  Saviour  at 
God's  right  hand,  his  features  became  calm  and 
radiant,  and  peace  and  joy  filled  his  soul.  He  said 
in  a  strong  voice,  "My  end  is  near ;  carry  me  into 
the  house  and  prepare  me  for  my  burial.  Do  not 
delay.''  These  were  his  last  words.  His  friends 
did  as  requested,  but  before  they  could  finish,  his 
soul  passed  away  without  a  struggle. 

Thus  he  gloriously  entered  into  his  inheritance. 
He  died  a  blessed  death.  His  crown  will  have 
many  stars,  as  he  had  the  joy  of  leading  many  to  a 
saving  knowledge  of  Christ.  He  was  buried  in  the 
beautiful  Wang  cemetery,  where  for  more  than 
two  hundred  years  only  his  ancestry  of  the  Wang 
name  have  been  buried.  Alas!  Elder  Wang  and 
his  wife  are  the  only  ones  buried  there  who  died  in 
the  certain  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection. 

Hunter  Corbett. 


CHAPTER    XVIL 
AA'ANG  OF  Wei. 

Mr.  Wang  was  an  only  /son.  In  his  youth  ht 
spent  two  years  as  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  the 
Tai-Ping  rebels.  He  came  home  to  find  that  they 
had  murdered  his  mother.  This  break  in  his  life, 
with  its  afflictions,  brought  to  him  a  serious  con- 
cern for  the  future  life.  Though  never  having  the 
advantages  of  a  school,  he  persevered  in  night 
study  till  he  had  a  very  good  knowledge  of  the 
classics — all,  that  he  might  study  the  religions  of 
China. 

He  visited  a  resort  of  Taoist  priests  among  the 
hills,  hoping  there  to  find  relief  for  his  burdened 
soul.  In  order  to  be  less  contaminated  with  the 
flesh,  and  to  lay  up  merit,  he  became  a  vegetarian. 

When  a  preacher  of  Jesus  came,  he  sat  up  all 
night  talking  with  him,  and  decided  to  seek  the  for- 
eign teacher,  and  with  him  com]>are  the  relative 
merits  of  Confucianism,  Buddhism,  Taoism  and 
Christianity,  Accordingly,  he  went  to  Cliefoo,  and 
spent  two  months  in  the  study  of  the  Bible  under 
Dr.  CoTbett.  He  decided  to  become  a  Christian, 
when  he  at  once  became  deeply  concerned  about 
the  conversion  of  his  children.  He  induced  a  Chris- 
tian doctor  to  come  from  a  distance  and  occupy 

190 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         191 

rooms  on  his  premises,  in  order  to  have  his  help 
in  influencing  his  boys.  He  used  many  promises 
and  threats,  even  proposing-  to  go  to  a  distance  and 
become  a  beggar,  if  they  would  not  become  Chris- 
tians. 

One  of  his  sons  says  his  father  made  his  life  so 
miserable  that  he  went  out  to  the  field  and  prayed 
hio'h  heaven  to  deliver  him  from  his  distresses.  His 
father  on  one  side,  and  all  his  associations  and  am- 
bitions and  prospects  on  the  other,  what  was  he 
to  do? 

He  said  that  one  thing  decided  him  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian at  any  cost ;  that  Avas  his  father^s  prayers. 
He  would  go  out  into  the  court,  when  he  supposed 
all  were  asleep,  and  would  every  night,  whether 
snowing  or  raining,  plead  with  God  for  the  con- 
version of  his  children,  till  he  was  exhausted.  This 
he  would  often  do  two  or  three  times  the  same 
night,  until  they  all  three  openly  professed  Christ 
as  their  Saviour.  One  of  the  sons  is  now  a  pastor. 
He  might,  with  his  brother,  be  receiving  a  large 
salary  in  a  government  school;  but  he  turned  from 
this  to  enter  the  ministry.  Not  only  so,  but  he 
accepted  tlie  one  of  three  calls  that  gave  him  the 
smallest  salary.  Being  supported  by  his  family, 
he  spends  all  his  salary  in  employing  preachers 
among  the  heathen. 

When  Mr.  Wang's  prayers  for  his  sons  and 
daughters  were  answered,  he  sold  some  of  his  land 
to  get  money  for  building,  and  traded  some  for 
adjoining  houses,  and  thus  prepared  ample  accom- 


192         Illustrious  Chinese  Cpiristians. 

modations  for  a  girls'  boarding-school.  He  attend- 
ed to  the  marketing  and  gronnd  the  grain  without 
charge,  often  supplementing  the  food  from  his  own 
store.  He  talked  and  prayed  with  the  girls  about 
the  unbinding  of  their  feet  before  even  we  for- 
eigners thought  of  such  vigorous  agitation.  He 
promised  to  buy  the  shoes  and  stockings  for  those 
who  would  unbind.  In  this,  too,  God  answered  his 
prayers  and  rewarded  his  efforts.  Indeed,  his  son, 
after  naming  a  list  of  answered  prayers,  said  that, 
so  far  as  he  knew,  his  father  had  gotten  everything 
he  had  asked  for. 

While  others  were  feasting  at  the  New^  Year, 
he  went  into  seclusion  and  fasted,  grieving  because 
his  parents  had  never  known  Jesus,  the  Saviour. 
Hearing  the  talk  of  the  Catholics,  and  reading  in 
Peter  about  the  spirits  in  prison,  he  went  to  the 
graveyard  and  built  a  booth,  where  he  spent  his 
time  in  prayer  for  his  parents  and  grandparents 
till  he  was  taken  sick,  when  he  concluded  that  God 
was  displeased  with  such  a  prayer,  and  so  returned 
to  his  home. 

When  he  could  command  the  time,  he  went  out 
preaching  Christ  among  the  heathen  villages,  of 
course  at  his  own  expense.  His  sons  were  college 
graduates  employed  in  teaching.  They  became  so 
alarmed  at  the  disposition  the  father  was  making 
of  the  property  at  this  time,  that  they  concluded  to 
teach  nearer  home,  so  that  they  could  be  on  hand 
to  protest.  The  father  promptly  told  them  that  he 
would'  not  spend  any  more  time  adding  to  the  es- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         193 

tate  to  be  left  to  them ;  that  there  was  likely  more 
now  than  was  for  their  good ;  that  he  had  given  all 
to  the  service  of  the  Master,  and  that,  if  they  ob- 
jected to  his  using  a  portion  of  the  property  for 
Christian  purposes,  they  should  just  take  it  and 
make  what  they  pleased  of  it. 

So  he  left,  and  they  were  never  able  to  induce 
him  to  return.  He  went  three  hundred  miles  away, 
where  he  was  given  a  salary  as  a  preacher.  He 
lived  simply,  giving  more  than  two-thirds  for  the 
benefit  of  others.  Among  other  things,  he  em- 
ployed a  Christian  teacher  in  la  heathen  village. 
This  has  resulted  in  a  station  of  more  than  twenty 
good  members,  some  of  whom,  have  stood  through 
bitter  persecutions. 

He  visits  his  home  yearly,  when  he  goes  among 
the  Christian  villages,  praying  with  and  exhort- 
ing the  Christians,  and  frequently  leaving  money 
for  the  needy.  He  has  a  large  amount  thus  loaned 
to  the  Lord.  With  some  of  the  money  thuis  sent 
home  in  advance  for  poor  people,  his  sons  bought  a 
donkey  that  was  soon  stolen;  another  time  they 
bought  a  mule,  which  died.  After  these  calamities, 
unprecedented  in  the  hiistory  of  the  family,  they 
said  they  would  never  again  appropriate  any  of 
their  father's  alms  money. 

Being  Puritanical  in  life,  Mr.  Wang  is  severe  in 
condemnation  of  sin  wherever  he  finds  it;  yet  for 
the  sinner  he  has  a  beautiful  charity,  so  that  he 
stands  high  in  his  influence  among  all  classes.  He 
belongs  to  the  intelligent  farming  class,  which  is 


194        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

far  superior  to  all  others  in  character  and  hopeful- 
ness for  Christianity. 

During  the  uprising  of  1900  in  China,  rowdies 
from  a  distance  looted  his  home,  while  he,  lilie 
other  Christians,  was  compelled  to  flee,  leaving  the 
crops  to  be  gathered  by  the  rabble. 

In  his  prayerful  concern  for  the  souls  of  his  chil- 
dren, the  duty  and  secret  of  prevailing  prayer,  in 
the  consecration  of  time  and  money  to  Christian 
work,  and  in  a  self-denying  simplicity  of  life  so  as 
to  have  larger  gifts  for  Christ,  how  many  in  "Chris- 
tian'' lands  might  sit  at  the  feet  of  Wang  of  Wei  I 


MRS.  MA,  AMOY,  CHINA. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Mrs.  Ma. 

Mrs.  Ma's  father  was  a  geomancer.  But  her 
home  was  a  poor  one.  For,  in  spite  of  her  father's 
pretended  knowledge  of  nature's  secrets,  he  could 
never  earn  enough  to  fill  the  home  with  plenty. 
He  ought  to  have  done  so,  for  he  professed  to  know 
the  rule  bj  which  the  good  and  evil  influences  that 
are  supposed  to  be  floating  in  the  air  could  be  con- 
trolled. He  could  select  a  site  to  bury  the  dead 
that  would  bring  prosperity  into  the  lives  of  living 
friends.  He  could  tell  men  how  to  build  their 
houses  so  as  to  foil  the  fell  purposes  of  the  spirits 
of  the  dead,  that  at  certain  seasons  are  supposed  to 
roam  the  earth,  to  avenge  themselves  upon  the 
living.  He  could  so  manipulate  the  "nativities" 
of  a  betrothed  couple  as  to  predict  fortune,  many 
sons,  and  honors.  But  while  he  thus  laid  claim  to 
such  knowledge  as  would  enrich  others,  he  was 
powerless  to  direct  any  of  the  wealth  and  prosper- 
ity toward  his  own  household. 

When  Mrs.  Ma  was  fourteen,  poverty  compelled 
her  to  go  to  the  home  of  her  betrothed  husband  to 
be  supported  by  his  friends.  From  this  time  the 
real  sorrows  of  her  life  began.  She  was  the  drudge 
of  the  family,  and  from  early  dawn  to  late  at  night 

197 


198         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

the  severest  household  duties  were  assigned  to  her. 

At  eighteen  she  was  married,  and  though  her  life 
bcM-anie  easier  for  a  time,  she  was  soon  destined  to 
realize  sorrow  in  its  bitterest  form.  Her  husband 
turned  out  a  worthless  and  dissipated  fellow.  His 
energies  were  directed  toward  discovering  some 
new  form  of  vice  or  dissipation.  Her  husband's 
relatives,  instead  of  sympathizing  with  her,  looked 
upon  her  as  the  active  cause  of  her  husband's  mis- 
deeds. They  thought  there  was  something  unlucky 
about  her  that  had  changed  his  destiny. 

Influenced  by  this  heathen  view,  they  speedily 
got  rid  of  her,  and  sold  her  to  another  man.  Her 
new  husband  loved  his  wife  with  real  and  true 
affection.  In  this  respect  her  warm,  loving  heart 
found  unspeakable  delight,  and  she  paid  back  his 
love  with  her  whole  souPs  devotion.  She  needed 
all  this  new-found  love  to  sustain  her  in  the  ter- 
rible struggle  which  she  now  began  for  existence. 
For  the  home  she  came  to  was  distressingly  poor, 
and  as  the  family  increased,  they  were  often  put 
to  the  severest  straits  to  provide  for  daily  food. 
Westerners  can  scarcely  credit  the  narrow  margin 
of  living  in  eastern  lands.  For  twenty  long  years 
she  kept  up  this  struggle. 

A  casual  glance  at  ^Irs.  Wd  would  have  given 
the  impression  that  she  was  a  very  pleasant  and 
agreeable  woman,  but  not  one  fitted  for  conflict 
with  a  hard  life.  Her  eyes  were  bright  and  spark- 
ling, and  a  smile  that  covered  her  face  with  sun- 
shine came  easily,  and  lingered  about  her  features. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         199 

She  had  a  genial  spirit  and  a  true  heart  that  could 
endure  anything  for  those  she  loved.  When  ex- 
cited, the  flash  of  her  eyes  and  the  firm  set  of  her 
features  proclaimed  a  spirit  within  well  fitted  for 
heroic  service. 

Her  husband  was  a  seafaring  man.  He  took 
long  voyages.  During  these  long  absences  the  care 
of  the  family  fell  wholly  upon  her.  Being  of  a  re- 
ligious turn  of  mind,  she  used  to  go  to  the  idols  for 
comfort.  For  long^  vears  her  faith  in  them  never 
faltered.  When  there  was  a  gleam  of  sunshine  in 
the  humble  home,  she  credited  it  to  these  gods. 
As  for  sorrows,  they  were  decreed  by  heaven,  and 
so  were  unavoidable.  In  this  she  shared  the  uni- 
versal inconsistency  of  all  idolaters  who  believe  the 
good  in  life  is  from  the  idols,  but  set  down  evils  as 
the  decrees  of  heaven,  or  fate. 

But  a  crisis  was  approaching  in  her  life.  One 
day  she  wa®  invited  to  attend  a  Christian  service. 
She  agreed,  rather  to  please  the  one  who  asked 
her,  than  with  any  definite  idea  of  what  she  was 
going  to  do.  "To  worship  God"  was  to  her  a  very 
vague  expression.  The  general  impression  was 
that  it  meant  the  abandoning  of  all  their  social 
customs,  the  rejection  of  their  ancestors,  and  the 
adoption  of  the  worship  and  customs  of  the  de- 
spised "barbarians." 

Mrs.  Ma  was  undoubtedly  led  by  an  invisible 
hand  that  day  when  she  walked  to  the  meeting,  for 
Christianity  was  a  profound  mystery  to  her.  Al- 
though she  did  not  comprehend  all  she  heard,  her 


200         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

impressions  were  fiivorable.  She  carried  away  one 
tliought,  to  which  she  clung  with  irrepressible  de- 
light, and  which  became  the  germ-seed  in  her  life 
of  new  ideas.  It  was  contained  in  a  line  of  one  of 
the  hymns,  and  it  said  that  God  was  the  giver  of 
houses  and  clothes  and  food.  This  touched  her 
with  an  irresistible  force.  Twenty  years  after  the 
event,  when  she  was  telling  the  story,  her  eyes 
flashed,  and  her  face  beamed  with  joy,  as  she  said, 
''These  were  the  first  Avords  that  led  me  to  God." 
They  Avere  so  practical.  She  had  been  struggling 
all  her  life  Avith  poverty.  She  Avas  then  living  in  a 
tumble-doAvn  shanty,  and  hoAV  to  pay  the  rent,  or 
Avhere  to  go  Avlien  she  Avas  turned  out  of  it,  she  did 
not  know.  Here  Avas  a  revelation  to  her.  The  idols 
never  promised  that.  This  Avas  her  first  step 
toward  the  new  life. 

Her  husband  Avas  uoav  going  on  a  long  voyage. 
He  had  a  presentiment  that  it  Avould  be  unfortu- 
nate. The  idols  Avere  consulted.  The  answer  Avas 
prompt,  that  nothing  unusual  Avould  attend  the 
voyage.  So,  after  a.  tearful  adieu,  he  sailed  aAvay. 
Weeks  and  months  dragged  along,  and  no  news. 
At  last  A^ague  rumors  of  a  shipwreck.  Then  the 
heart-breaking  confirmation.  And  this  despite  the 
fact  that  when  she  stood,  with  agonizing  cry  and 
palpitating  heart  before  the  idols  a  second  time, 
they  had  replied  that  he  Avould  return  alive  and 
well. 

From  this  time  forth  she  put  no  faith  in  idols. 
She  put  every  idol  out  of  her  house.     She  turned 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        201 

wholly  to  Christ,  and  for  nearly  thirty  3^ears  she 
has  lived  a  most  devout  Christian  life.  Her  name 
has  been  a  ver^^  prominent  oftie  in  the  church. 
When  any  service  had  to  be  performed  that  de- 
manded the  wisdom  of  a  womanly,  tender  heart, 
hers  was  the  name  that  was  usually  mentioned  in 
preference  to  all  others. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  the  church  that  her  repu- 
tation stood  high.  Amongst  the  heathen,  too,  her 
name  was  fragrant.  For  many  years  her  services 
have  been  in  great  request  in  the  Chinese  commu- 
nity because  of  her  knowledge  of  the  diseases  of 
children.  In  this  capacity  she  visits  both  the  rich 
and  the  poor.  Here  her  gentle  disposition  has 
touched  the  hearts  of  those  with  whom  she  has 
had  to  deal,  and  has  inclined  them  to  listen  with 
patience  to  the  gospel  of  Christ.  How  many  hearts 
have  been  touched  b}^  her  words,  which  were  made 
powerful  by  her  own  beautiful  life,  only  God 
knows.  How  many  have  passed  through  the 
gloomy  portals,  which  heathenism  leaves  shrouded 
in  darkness,  with  her  faith  to  comfort  them,  the 
future  will  alone  reveal. 

One  day  I  said  to  her,  "What  to  you  is  the  most 
precious  truth  in  all  the  Bible?''  "The  one  that 
Christ  died  for  me  on  the  cross,"  she  replied  at 
once.  "And  why?"  "Because  I  have  been  such  a 
sinner.  Think  of  my  life.  If  my  sins  had  not 
been  great,  how  should  such  sufferings  have  all 
been  heaped  on  my  life  for  so  many  years?  Yes, 
my  sins  indeed  were  great,   and  who  but  Jesu§ 


202         Illustrious  Chinese  Christlvns. 

cHHild  tako  them  away?  It  is  he  who  has  made 
me  happy,  and  therefore  it  is  that  I  think  so  much 
of  his  cross." 

Her  son  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  Chris- 
tianity in  our  church.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  look 
upon  his  face.  It  has  the  gentle,  loving  expression 
of  his  mother,  and  truth  and  uprightness  are 
stamped  upon  it.  There  is  no  family  that  I  know 
of  that  has  had  a  larger  influence  for  good  than 
that  of  Mrs.  Ma. 

Mrs.  Ma  stood  out  boldly  and  beautifully,  like 
the  noble  mountain  in  whose  shadow  she  spent  so 
much  of  her  life.  And  the  Spirit  of  God  rested 
upon  her,  like  the  luxfurious  effulgence  that  bathed 
the  lofty  summit  of  ''The  Great  Southern  War- 
rior.'^  And  as  that  lofty  peak  aspired  to  pierce  the 
sky,  so  her  soul  sought  to  attain  the  glories  of 
the  higher  life.  The  grand  old  mountain  can  only 
point  to  the  heaven  whither  she  has  already  before 
us  entered. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Chan  Sui  Cheung, 
a  fisher  of  men. 

Lau  Kong  is  a  village  in  South  China.  It  is 
situated  in  the  Sha  Lan,  or  Sand  Market  valley. 
In  the  front  of  the  village,  and  across  an  arm  of  the 
China  Sea,  rises  the  Island  of  St.  John,  where 
Francis  Xavier  breathed  his  last,  after  waiting  for 
many  months  for  a  Chinese  vessel  to  carry  him 
to  Canton,  being  deceived  again  and  again  by  the 
Chinese  authorities,  who  would  not  at  that  time 
tolerate  any  ^'barbarian''  in  their  midst. 

In  tliis  village  of  Lau  Kong,  in  1859,  Mr.  Chan, 
or  Chan  Sui  Cheung,  Avas  born  in  sight  of  the 
island  where  the  famous  Jesuit  missionary  ex- 
claimed, ''Rock,  open!''  referring  to  China.  Mr. 
Chan  himself  often  gave  expression  to  the  same 
sentiment,  for  he  earnestly  longed  for  the  salva- 
tion of  his  people.  And  more  than  once  he  com- 
pared the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  to  adamant,  or 
the  igneous  rocks  so  plentiful  in  that  part  of 
China. 

The  name  ''Chan''  is  that  of  one  of  the  largest 
clans  of  the  empire,  and  it  is  an  honor  to  wear  it. 
Sui  Cheung  was  his  "baby"  name,  and  might  be 
translated  "Following  Elegance." 

It  will  be  seen  that  3Ir.  Chan  belonged  to  a  very 

;206 


206         Illustkious  Chixesi:  Cukistians. 

large  family,  aud  had  ''a  ^i»ood  iiaiiu'/'  which,  how- 
ever, might  mean  nothing,  as  all  Chinese  names  are 
high-sounding.  In  after  ^^ears  he  took  the  name 
of  Yenk  Yu,  which  means  ''A  Weak  Fisher."  This 
he  undoubtedly  applied  to  himself,  self-depreeia- 
tingly,  as  being  ''a  weak  fisher  of  men." 

Mr.  Chan  was  below  the  average  in  height,  and 
had  a  rather  frail  constitution.  So  poor  was  his 
physical  endowment  that  if  it  were  any  indication 
of  his  spirit,  this  sketch  would  never  have  been 
v;ritten.  A  strong  spirit  in  a  frail  body,  a 
courageous  soul  in  a  frail  frame,  this  represents 
Chan  Sui  Cheung. 

At  eight  years  of  age  he  entered  a  primary 
school,  "but,"  he  says,  "my  memory  was  very  poor, 
and\the  few  columns  of  characters  I  learned  daily 
I  wak  unable  to  repeat,  no  differ(mce  Avhat  schemes 
were  employed."  In  fact,  for  many  years  his  vo- 
cabulary seemed  limited,  and  he  never  was  what 
is  popularly  called  "eloquent." 

At  fourteen  he  entered  the  high  school.  His 
reasoning  faculties  were  now  developing,  and  he 
says  of  thisUime,  "I  began  to  understand  truth  and 
comprehondVhe  first  principles  of  knowledge."  In 
the  elementary  school  the  treacherous  memory  of 
Cliai  Sui  Cheung  often  brought  the  teacher^s  rod 
dowii  upon  hijs  head.  In  the  high  school,  he 
learned  to  compose  essays  and  write  couplets,  as 
all  Chinese  youths  are  wont  to  do. 

Chah  belonged  to  la  literary  family,  some  mem- 
bers or  which  had  attained  to  the  Second  Literary 


Illustrious  Oiiixese  Christlvxs.         207 

Degree,  and  he  was  destined  for  the  same  honors 
by  his  parents.  But,  alas!  the  weaknc^ss  of  his 
body  and  the  poverty  of  the  family  prevented  him 
remaining  very  long  at  school,  and  when  he  was 
seventeen,  he,  with  others  from  his  native  village, 
embarked  for  tlie  ''Shores  of  the  Flowery  Flag,''  as 
they  called  the  United  States. 

Here  he  remained  two  years  as  a  cigar-maker, 
and  then  returned  to  his  native  land.  Having  no 
profession,  and  being  unused  to  manual  labor,  he 
again  visited  the  high  school,  where,  in  all  prob- 
ability, his  taste  for  learning  received  its  first  great 
impulse  and  made  him  a  lifelong  student.  From 
this  time  he  ranked  among  the  scholars.  After 
several  more  years  of  study  he  became  a  teacher. 

At  twenty-three,  he  married  a  daughter  of  the 
Lee  family.  She  was  frugal  and  looked  well  to  the 
ways  of  her  household,  although,  in  these  days  of 
her  unbelief,  she  spent  considerable  sums  on  idol 
worship. 

It  iis  not  always  as  easy  to  support  a  ^  ife  as  to 
get  one,  and  at  twenty-five  Ave  find  Mr.  Chan  once 
more  turning  his  steps  toward  America  in  order  to 
make  his  fortune.  Coming  to  Chicago,  where  there 
was  a  large  Chinese  colony,  he  Avas  induced  to 
attend  a  Sunday-school,  and  the  following  year 
heard  the  gospel,  and  almost  immediately  accepted 
the  truth.  He  says,  "I  became  conscious  of  my  sin 
and  renounced  all  my  former  wrongdoing,  and  was 
baptized,  by  Rev.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  D.   D.,  of  the 


208         iLLusTiuous  Chinese  Chuistiaxs. 

First  Congregational  Church,  in  1885,  in  the 
twenty-sixtli  year  of  my  life." 

It  was  Chan  Sui  Cheung's  ^od  fortune  to  have 
some  faithful  teachers,  who  not  only  taught  the 
principles  of  Christianity,  but  also  the  power  of 
Christ  in  the  soul.  He,  therefore,  never  made  much 
use  of  Chinese  philosophy  in  his  preaching. 

He  was  a  thorough  Chinese  in  his  regard  for 
propriety,  and  was  always  easily  offended  at  in- 
discreet conduct.  From  his  experien^^,  he  was 
thoroughly  convinced  that  in  Chinese  schools  and 
Sunday-schools,  in  America,  only  elderly  or  mature 
women  should  be  employed  -as  teachers. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  acceptance  of 
Christianity  was  an  easy  matter  for  him.  By  in- 
heritance and  by  his  sympathetic  nature  he  was 
stronglj^  drawn,  to  Confucianism.  And  it  was 
almost  with  trepidation  that  he  took  the  covenant 
of  the  church  above  mentioned.  ^^The  weakest  of 
the  wealv,"  he  became  strong  as  the  power  of  Christ 
possessed  him. 

The  great  magnet,  aside  from  the  divine  truth, 
which  drew  his  heart  to  Christ,  was  the  life  he 
saw  lived  by  such  disciples  as  Dr.  Goodwin,  Dr. 
Shipman  and  Mrs.  Brown,  and  these,  though  dead, 
live  in  Chan  Sui  Cheung. 

His  brother  in  China  having  died,  at  the  request 
of  hi^  wife  and  mother  he  once  more  turned  his 
face  toward  his  native  land.  He  was  sad,  for  he 
knewithat  persecutions  were  in  store  for  him. 

As  soon  ais  he  reached  home,  he  sought  out  all 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         209 

the  Christians  in  his  neighborhood,  and  began  to 
hold  Christian  servicer.  He  says  of  this  time: 
"There  were  in  this  region  only  six  or  seven  Chris- 
tians. I  was  the  only  one  who  became  a  preacher. 
My  relatives  regarded  me  as  the  scum  of  the  earth. 
I  was  ridiculed,  slandered  and  persecuted,  and 
those  who  were  my  most  intimate  friends  looked 
upon  me  as  the  earth's  offiscouring." 

Once  when  he  attended  the  funeral  of  a  relative 
he  did  not  prostrate  himself  before  the  grave,  as  the 
others  did,  but  waited  until  the  last,  and  repaired, 
somewhat,  the  grave.  Upon  his  return,  some  of  the 
young  men  jeered  at  him  for  his  lack  of  reverence 
for  ancestors,  to  which  he  replied :  "I  did  more 
than  you.  You  made  your  bow  and  hastened  away 
for  fear  the  spirits  would  catch  you,  while  I  re- 
mained behind  to  repair  the  grave.''  After  this  he 
was  not  greatly  molested,  although  he  sometimes 
was  lonely,  from  lack  of  fellowship  with  kindred 
spirits. 

In  the  spring  of  1891,  he  was  first  regularly 
employed  by  the  American  Board  Mission.  He  was 
located  in  a  valley  called  Hoi  In,  nine  miles  from 
his  home.  Here  he  has  labored  ever  since,  although 
the  first  years  of  his  ministry  were  largely  devoted 
to  study  and  self-improvement. 

At  this  time  his  wife  was  still  a  jjagan.  When 
his  mother  died,  his  wife  almost  forced  him  to  wor- 
ship her  corpse.  She  Avould  spend  the  money  he 
gave  her  for  buying  provisions,  for  heathen  wor- 
ship.    He  remonstrated  with  her  many  times.     At 


210  ILLUSTKIOLS    CillNESE    CilUlSTIANS. 

last,  in  desperation,  he  used  the  argument  of  cor- 
poreal punishment. 

When  lie  told  what  he  had  done,  he  wasi  asked 
hoAV  he  would  like  to  have  the  same  means  tried 
^^'ith  him,  as  lie  had  been  known  to  do  some  foolish 
things,  too.  He  smiled  and  made  no  reply.  But 
several  years  afterwards,  when  the  subject  of  Avife- 
whipping  came  up  among  the  church-members,  he 
said :  ^'I  do  not  think  that  anything  can  be  gained 
by  whipping  our  wives.  It  does  not  change  their 
hearts.     More  can  be  gained  by  gentle  means.'' 

But  for  ten  more  years  hi®  wife  resisted  every 
entreaty  to  become  a  Christian.  She  held  out  even 
v,'hen  her  own  daughters,  one  after  another,  came 
into  the  church.  There  was  a  happy  family  when, 
at  last,  only  a  few  years  ago,  she  confessed  Christ. 

He  was  no  doubt  influenced  by  missionaries  in 
ertering  the  ministry,  but,  having  entered  the 
sacred  work,  he  ever  after  felt  himself  drawn  and 
held  to  it  by  the  Spirit  of  (lod.  And  thivs,  although 
the  strenuous  life  of  a  Chinese  evangelist  was  not 
suited  to  his  weak  body  and  quiet  temperament. 

He  was  a  reticent  man,  and  not  eloquent  in  his 
sermons.     But  he  developed  wonderfully. 

He  was  a  close  and  constant  student  of  the  Bible. 
His  delight  was  great  Avhen  he  first  caught  PauFs 
meaning  in  the  'doctrine  of  law  and  grace,  as  re- 
corded in  Romans.  He  often  prayed  that  he  might 
be  crucified  with  Christ.  When,  upon  one  occasion, 
he  gave  way  to  his  temper,  he  prayed  earnestly  that 
his  temper  might  be  nailed  to  the  cross.     In  the 


Illustrious  Chixksi:  Ciiuistlvxs.         213 

village  where  this  incident  occurred,  such  has  been 
his  influence  that  there  is  now  a.  Christian  school 
and  a  goodly  number  of  church-members. 

Mr.  Chan  had  a  quick  grasp  of  spiritual  truth. 
Once  when,  at  the  close  of  the  year,  he  was  asked 
what  he  had  learned  during  the  year,  he  replied, 
"To  east  all  my  care  upon  God.-' 

He  delighted  to  refer  to  favorite  passages  of 
Scripture.  His  Chinese  Bible,  especially  the  New 
Testament,  wais  marked  through  and  through.  It 
^^'as  always  a  pleasure  to  talk  to  him  of  divine 
things,  for  his  spiritual  perceptions  were  keener 
than  is  usual  'among  even  home  Christians.  His 
prayers  were  always  earnest,  and  spiritual  and 
full  of  faith. 

He  never  stopped  growing.  He  seems  to  develop 
every  year.  He  has  a  well-stocked  library,  and  is 
a  constant  reader  of  all  good  literature — ^secular 
and  religious.  But  perhaps  hiis  chief  work  has 
been  to  train  other  workers.  The  Mission  not  liiav- 
ing  regular  or  elaborate  facilities  for  this,  he  has 
largely  supplied  the  need.  He  has,  alone,  trained  a 
number  of  earnest  young  men  for  the  ministry. 

The  Bible  was  always  the  principal  text-book, 
no  difference  what  the  attainments  of  the  student 
might  be.  He  called  his  pupils  together  early  in 
the  morning,  and  several  times  a  day,  for  study. 
No  time  was  wasted.  On  "market  days''  each  pupil 
was  expected  to  preach  to  the  heathen.  On  other 
days  they  preached  in  the  villages.  In  this  way 
he  prepared  them  for  their  Avork,  so  that  the  Amer- 


214         iLLUSTUiors  riiixEsi:  Chiustia.ns. 

ican  Board  Misisiou  has  now  ten  or  twelve  men 
who  were  tan<»ht  b}^  Chan  Sui  Cheunc;,  and  these 
men  are  as  well — if  not  better — ^trained  as  the 
graduates  of  onr  training-school.  That  is,  for  the 
special  work  they  have  to  do. 

See  him  teaching.  The  theme  is  '^The  Crucifixion 
of  Christ."  The  teacher  and  the  students  are  all 
seated  around  the  table,  Bibles  in  hand.  He  thus 
applies  the  theme:  "You  and  I  have  crucified 
Christ.  It  was  your  sins  and  mine  that  nailed 
the  Lord  of  glory  to  the  cross.''  And  in  this  way 
he  continued  until  his  eyes  and  those  of  his  pupils 
were  suffused  with  tears — a  rare  scene  even  among 
Christian  Chinese. 

No  pupil  ever  got  a  false  impresision  from  his 
teaching.  They  knew  that  what  he  taught  w^as 
not  a  foreign  gospel,  but  the  unchangeable  truth  of 
God.  One  of  these  pupils  thus  speaks  of  his  ex- 
perience under  Mr.  Chan.  "In  the  morning  we 
were  up  before  daylight,  and  we  often  sat  up  as 
late  as  nine  or  ten  o'clock  at  night  to  study.  There 
were  several  sessionjs  during  the  day.  When  not 
studying,  we  were  iDreaching,  so  that  my  head  fair- 
ly ached  at  times."  No  drones  were  allowed,  and 
he  got  out  of  his  pupils  more  than  any  foreign 
teacher  could  have  done.  There  is  no  hesitation 
ab<mt  sending  young  men  to  him  for  training. 
They  always  get,  not  only  the  theory,  but  the  spirit, 
of  the  gospel. 

In  preaching  he  is  true  and  faithful.  The  thir- 
teen veais  of  liis  services  have  seen  a  communion 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         215 

service  of  two  or  three  increased  to  nearly  one 
hundred.  He  is  loved  by  his  people — they  may 
indeed  lean  upon  him  a  little  too  much  at  times. 
Thej  go  to  liim  witli  all  their  pecuniary  and  other 
difficulties.  At  our  annual  conferences  he  holds 
a  prominent  place. 

Of  his  call  to  the  ministry  he  has  no  doubt,  and 
at  one  of  these  annual  meetings  he  nioYed  the  entire 
audience  by  declaring  that  when  a  man  had  put 
his  hand  to  the  gospel  plow  he  should  never  turn 
back.  And  then,  appealing  to  his  own  experience, 
he  devoutly  affirmed  that  he  never  found  rest  to 
his  soul  until  he  promised  God  that  he  would  make 
preaching  his  lifelong  work.  And  thus  he  has  great 
power  Avith  others. 

From  extreme  modesty  he  has  declined  ordina- 
tion, but  he  is  bishop  in  his  own  diocese.  He  is  a 
bishop  of  souls  and  an  instructor  of  preachers. 
His  own  best  teacher  has  been  the  word  of  God 
unfolded  by  the  Spirit,  to  which  he  acknowledges 
his  allegiance  upon  every  occasion.  Oh,  for  the 
sake  of  China,  that  such  men  could  be  multiplied 
a  thousand-fold!  C.  R.  Hager. 


CHAPTEK  XX. 

Lay-Zung-Sing, 
a  godly  merchant. 

Canton  is  situated  in  China's  southernmost 
province.  Here,  many  years  agO' — no  one  knows 
just  hoA^'  many — there  was  born  a  man  who  was 
to  become  a  veritable  ''flame  of  fire."  And  this 
not  so  much  in  throAving  hot  brands  of  castigation 
and  reproof  among  his  neighbors,  as  by  a  steady, 
glowing  testimony  of  the  love  of  Grod  among  them. 
His  native  place  rejoiced  in  the  anomalous  name 
of  "Stone-Sea."  He  seems  to  have  always  been 
a  business  man,  iand  in  1876  came  to  Canton  on  a 
trade  errand. 

As  is  the  custom  all  over  China,  the  missionaries 
had  opened  preaching-chapels  on  the  street.  In 
these,  Lay-Zung-Sing  heard  the  gospel.  He  was  at 
once  interested.  He  returned  time  after  time. 
Each  time  he  was  more  delighted.  After  several 
months — what  a  time  of  waiting  for  this  ardent 
soul — he  was  baptized,  and  received  into  the 
church. 

His  whole  after-life  showed  that  his  entering 
the  fold  was  not  a  mere  matter  of  form.  He  felt 
that  he  had  "put  on  Christ."  Every  day  hence- 
forth Avas  dedicated  to  His  service.  He  thought  of 
Jesus  not  only  «s  hiis  Saviour,  but  as  his  Lord  and 

218 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         217 

Master,  whom  it  was  a  delight  to  serve.  He  had 
the  true  courage  to  stand  up  and  preach  to  his  old 
friends  and  neighbors — in  fact,  he  thus  witnessed 
and  preached  as  long  as  he  livc^d.  His  favorite 
theme  was  ^'Christ  the  Saviour  of  Men." 

When  seven  or  eight  had  become  Christians  at 
Stone-Sea,  they  wished  to  build  a  chapel.  Of  course 
it  must  be  a  very  modest  one.  And  they  called  it 
''Glad  Message  Hall."  A  very  appropriate  name, 
seeing  that  from  it  was  to  be  heralded  the  gospel 
to  the  surrounding  thousands. 

They  were  all  poor,  but  that  did  not  daunt  them. 
They  agreed  that  each  should  contribute  what  he 
could.  Some  brought  tile,  some  l>rick,  some  wood. 
All  contributed  their  labor.  Thus  by  toil  and  moil 
they  had  the  walls  of  their  beloved  building  five 
or  six  feet  high.  But  their  success  had  evidently 
roused  the  ire  of  the  neighbors — at  least  of  the  evil- 
disposed  among  them.  The  rabble  came  and  jeered. 
From  jeens  they  soon  came  to  blows.  They  tore 
down  the  walls  and  left  the  place  a  pile  of  ruins. 
Nor  did  they  stop  here.  They  tore  down  Mr.  Lay's 
shop,  and  took  away  the  stock  of  goods.  Gaining 
courage  by  success,  they  now  began  a  search  for 
the  Christians,  with  the  intention  of  beating  and 
possibly  of  killing  them.  But  the  brethren  were 
>^  arned,  and,  to  save  themselves,  fled  to  Canton. 

Now,  it  seems  almost  incredible,  but  Mr.  Lay  did 
not  stir.  He  remained  at  home,  and  it  is  said  that 
he  did  not  even  become  nervous  or  alarmed.  Surely 
only  Providence  could  have  preserved  him.     More- 


218         Illustrious  Chinese  Chkistlvxs. 

over,  the  county  officials  must  have  beeu  a  little 
surprised  to  receive  from  liim,  almost  at  once,  a 
communication  requesting  them  to  arrange  for  an 
indemnity.  It  was  not  a  matter  of  audacity  with 
him,  but  one  of  sheer  faith.  He  quietly  reckoned 
up  the  loss  of  materials,  labor,  and  the  losses  of 
the  brethren.  The  indemnity  was  paid,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  year  the  little  church  was  finished. 

In  addition  to  this,  Mr.  Lay's  shop  was  reopened, 
and  his  trade  for  some  time  greatly  increased. 
In  conducting  his  business  he  was  careful  not  to 
compromise  any  principle.  He  did  not  deal  in 
wine,  or  in  idols  or  in  images,  or  in  any  of  the  ac= 
companiments  of  superstitious  worship,  x^nd  this, 
at  last,  ruined  his  business.  His  customers  began 
to  withdraw  their  trade,  and  the  business  dwindled 
until  the  shop  was  closed.  But  he  had  already, 
by  economy,  saved  enough  to  supply  the  necessities 
of  himself  and  those  immediately  depending  upon 
him. 

Now  began  a  new  era  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Lay. 
Henceforth,  he  seemed  to  literally  think  of  notliing 
else  except  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  had  always 
been  a  great  Bible  student.  But  now,  after  he  Irad 
been  a  Christian  twenty  years,  he  would  make  ar- 
rangements to  go  to  Canton  to  take  an  additional 
course  of  lectures  or  readings.  And  this  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year.  He  permitted  no  weakness 
nor  annoyance  to  detain  him,  nor  even  ordinary 
attacks  of  illness.  He  always  paid  his  own  ex- 
penses. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         219 

So  great,  indeed,  was  his  zeal,  that  his  heathen 
neighbors  voted  him,  at  times,  a  little  "queer," 
but  no  one  was  ever  found,  even  here,  who  doubted 
that  he  was  an  intense  and  earnest  disciple  of 
Christ. 

At  one  side  of  the  door,  in  his  house,  he  erected 
a  kind  of  low  platform.  Here  he  would  station 
himself.  He  kept  a  supply  of  Gospels.  He  courte- 
ously invited  passersby  to  a  seat,  and  engaged  them 
in  conversation  about  religion.  To  others  he  sold 
a  Gospel,  and  with  a  few  words  of  explanation, 
and  a  blessing,  he  sent  them  on  their  way.  He 
abounded  in  liberality.  According  to  his  means, 
he  contributed  to  every  interest  of  the  church. 

The  fruits  of  his  labor  were  abundant.  Some 
years  ago,  having  occasion  to  call  the  Christians 
of  Stone-Sea  together  for  instruction,  among  other 
questions  they  were  asked  by  what  agency  they 
were  brought  into  the  church.  Out  of  fifteen 
natives  of  the  place,  thirteen  testified  that  Lay- 
Zung-Sing  had  led  them  to  Christ.  And  now,  out 
of  a  membership  of  forty,  more  than  half  bear  the 
same  witness. 

He  was  truly  humble.  With  all  his  wonderful 
influence,  he  never  for  a  moment  thought  of  lording 
it  over  the  Lord's  heritage,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  seemed  as  if  he  could  never  sufficiently  exalt 
his  Master. 

In  his  zeal  for  Bible  study,  hi®  love  for  souls, 
and  his  earnestness  in  preaching  the  Word,  he  has 
set  a  noble  example.     We  have  not  seen  his  face 


220         Illustrious  Chinese  Chuistl^ns. 

for  some  years,  for  God  has  called  him  home.  We 
say  he  is  dead,  but  even  on  earth  he  can  never  die. 
His  reverence  was  extraordinary.  In  prayer,  he 
always  prostrated  himself  Mth  his  face  to  the 
ground.  With  what  transport  muist  such  a  soul 
graze  into  the  face  of  the  Father! 


PASTOR  LING,   OF  FOOCHOW, 


OHAPTEK  XXL 

Pastor  Ling,  of  Foochow. 

"Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  ns 
We  can  make  our  lives  sublime. ' ' 

Such  is  the  lesson  of  the  life  of  Pastor  Ling — 
a  life  which  closed  on  the  first  Sunday  of  the  new 
century.  It  was  almost  from  the  very  courts  of 
God's  house,  where  he  had  so  warmly  welcomed 
liundreds  into  the  fold  of  the  Christian  church, 
that  the  soul  of  this  "man  of  God''  took  its  flight 
to  the  mansions  above.  Like  Enoch  of  old,  he 
walked  with  God,  and  was  not,  for  God  took  him. 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  onh^  a  few  days 
before,  when  asked  whether  he  would  prefer  to  die 
suddenlj^,  or  after  a  prolonged  illness,  he  expressed 
his  preference  for  the  former,  little  thinking  that 
the  Father,  whom  he  had  served  faithfully  for  so 
many  years,  was  about  to  grant  him  his  choice. 
On  the  Sunday  morning  referred  to,  he  was  min- 
istering to  the  usual  congregation,  but  had  not 
proceeded  far  in  the  exercises  when  he  was  obliged 
to  give  up  and  retire  to  the  parsonage  near  by,  leav- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  service  to  be  conducted 
by  the  senior  deacon.  While  the  congregation  was 
thus  engaged,  death  came  and  removed  from  earth 
our  beloved   pastor.     Always  a  firm   believer   in 


224         Illustkiotts  Chinese  Christians. 

prayer,  he  remained  so  to  the  end,  and  even  in  the 
midst  of  the  agonizing  struggle  between  life  and 
death,  he  exhorted  his  loved  ones  who  were  giving 
their  vain  ministrations,  to  "pray,  pray,  pray.'' 
These  were  his  last  words,  and  how  fitting  for  one 
just  passing  Avithin  the  gatesi! 

Pastor  Ling  Nik-sing  was  born  forty-six  years 
ago  at  Nantai,  a  suburb  of  Foochow,  the  son  of  a 
God-serving  father,  but  of  an  idol-serving  mother. 
It  was  providential  that  the  father  was  a  keeper  of 
the  Lord's  house,  for  the  young  Nik-sing  was  often 
enabled  to  listen  to  the  great  truths  concerning 
the  love  of  God  and  the  redemption  of  the  world. 
Into  the  soil  of  a  naturally  serious  and  thoughtful 
disposition,  the  seeds  of  truth  thus  sown  early 
found  a  lodgment.  The  mother  became  alarmed  at 
the  prospect  of  her  son  ^'obeying  the  doctrine," 
and,  becoming  convinced  that  he  was  too  near  the 
missionaries  and  their  converts,  she  succeeded  in 
securing  for  him  a  situation  as  clerk  in  a  variety 
shop,  little  thinking  that  that  was  just  the  thing 
she  should  do  in  order  to  improve  his  opportuni- 
ties for  hearing  the  truth. 

Hard  by  the  shop  was  a  chapel  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  the  young  Nik-sing,  being  now  more 
than  ever  determined  to  know  of  the  "New  Way," 
spent  his  spare  moments  at  this  chapel,  where  the 
ministrations  of  a  devoted  preacher  resulted  in 
bringing  a  flood  of  light  into  his  soul. 

In  the  shop,  his  faithful  performance  of  every 
duty   and   his  extreme  carefulness   in   regard   to 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         225 

truth  and  honesty  soon  won  for  him  a  high  place 
in  the  esteem  of  his  employer.  Among  the  articles 
for  sale  were  idol-paper,  candles,  incense,  and  other 
things  essentia^  in  idolatrous  ceremonies.  From 
the  very  stait,  the  young  clerk  refused  to  touch 
these  things,  leaving  it  for  the  other  clerks  to  make 
sales.  As  i^  other  shops,  so  in  this,  the  shopkeeper 
depended  much  for  his  gains  on  adulterating  his 
goods,  in  accordance  with  the  generally  adopted 
theory  that  "to  make  money  one  must  cheat,  at 
least  a  little."  But  the  shopkeeper  had  counted  on 
the  wrong  man,  for  the  destined-to-be  leader  in 
the  Christian  church  faithfully  informed  any 
would-be  purchasers  of  any  defects  or  adultera- 
tions in  the  articles  under  consideration.  This 
greatl}^  embarrassed  the  shopkeeper,  but  his  clerk 
was  so  trustworthy^  that  he  could  not  well  do  with- 
out him.  Protestations,  threats  and  entreaties  on 
the  part  of  his  mother  and  uncle  only  served  to 
bring  out  the  bold  assertion  that  they  might  do 
with  him  las  they  pleased,  but,  as  for  lying  and 
deceiving,  he  would  not  be  guilty  of  these  sins. 
As  might  naturally  be  expected,  such  a  difference 
in  the  moral  sensibilities  of  employer  and  employed 
could  not  result  in  any  relation  of  long  duration, 
and  in  due  course  of  time  our  young  hero,  then 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  already  a  member  of 
"The  Church  of  the  Saviour,"  entered  the  Mission 
Boarding  School,  now  Foochow^  College,  for  young 
men,  situated  in  Foochow  City,  and  then  under  the 
cliaree  of  the  late  Key.   S.  F.  Woodin.     Here  he 


226         Illustrious  Chlxksh  Chrtstlvxs. 

studied  for  two  years,  after  wliicli  lie  was  employed 
for  two  years  as  a  preacher  at  the  Water  Gate 
Chapel,  alternating-  with  Dr.  C.  C.  Baldwin  and 
Kev.  0.  Hartwell,  in  preachinG:  there  and  at  the 
Peace  Street  Church  in  the  cit3\  These  two  years 
were  fruitful  in  rich  experiences,  preparing  him  for 
the  great  work  before  him. 

When  about  twenty-nine  years  of  age  he  Avas 
ordained  pastor  and  placed  over  the  Peace  Street 
Church,  which  post  he  held  for  about  eleven  years, 
until  the  day  of  his  death.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
review  in  detail  the  work  of  these  seventeen  years, 
full  to  overflowing  with  labors  of  love  '4n  season 
and  out  of  season,"  through  heat  and  cold,  in  sun- 
shine and  shadow,  year  in  and  year  out.  Only  the 
judgment  day  Avill  reveal  the  brightness  of  that 
star  which  shall  shine  for  ever  and  ever  because  of 
the  multitude  of  souls  turned  to  righteousness  as 
a  result  of  faithful  ministrations  while  on  earth. 
And  yet  special  mention  should  be  made  of  his 
work  in  behalf  of  opium  smokers. 

It  was  in  the  year  1891,  or  thereabouts,  that  his 
soul  became  oppressed  with  the  weight  of  respon- 
sibility for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  this  poor, 
outcaist  class.  It  is  impossible  toi  say  whether 
Pastor  Ling  entered  upon  this  work  with  any 
special  faith  that  any  number  would  actually  and 
permanently  break  away  from  the  bonds  which 
held  them  in  slavery,  but  certain  it  is  that  the  con- 
viction that  his  was  to  do  and  dare,  took  full  pos- 
session of  him.     The  number  of  sin-ladened  souls. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Chkistiaxs.         227 

at  first  small  and  attracted  thither  simpl}^  bj  the 
report  that  iu  the  hands  of  this  pastor  was  medicine 
which  would  cure  them  of  the  opium  habit,  grew  as 
time  went  on,  until  the  roll  contained  well-nigh 
one  thousand  names.  To  test  the  sincerity  of  those 
^^ilo  came,  a  payment  of  ten  cents  was  required 
before  enrollment,  and  the  money  thus  secured  was 
afterwards  used  by  the  church  for  the  support  of 
a  school. 

It  was  something  of  a  disappointment  to  many 
who  had  come  expecting  an  almost  immediate  cure 
through  the  power  of  the  wonderful  western  medi- 
cine, to  be  told  that  the  efficacy  of  this  medicine 
would  depend  entirely  on  the  power  of  a  new  life 
within  the  recipient,  and  that  this  power  of  a  new^ 
life  could  only  be  obtained  by  prayer  and  an  entire 
surrender  of  self  to  Him  who  is  mighty  to  save. 
INo  medical  treatment  was  allowed  in  any  case 
until  after  three  Aveeks  spent  in  learning  to  pray 
and  attendance  at  nightly  meetings  in  the  chapel. 

I  can  well  remember  these  meetings.  A  small, 
poorly  lighted,  badly  ventilated  room  filled  with 
men  on  whose  faces  there  stand  out  the  unmis- 
takable marks  of  slavery  to  'a  gross  appetite.  The 
meeting  is  led  by  the  pastor  himself,  or  by  one 
of  the  few  faithful  who  have  been  led  to  join  in 
this  attempt  to  save  souls.  After  the  usual  exer- 
cises, singing,  prayer  and  Scripture  reading,  a 
short  address  is  given,  and  then  the  whole  congre- 
gation kneels  in  deep  humilit^^  before  the  throne 
of  grace.  .  Prayers  follow  each  other  in  quick  sue- 


228        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

cession,  many,  like  that  of  the  publican  of  old, 
but  a  sentence  in  length,  and  yet  bespeaking  an 
earnest  desire  to  be  free  from  tlu^  thralldom  of 
sin.  The  meeting  is  over,  and  a  smik^  spreads  over 
the  weary,  worn  face  of  the  pastor  as  he  bows 
each  one  out,  giving  them  all  some  word  of  en- 
couragement or  reminding  them  of  the  meeting  on 
the  folloAving  night.  And  thus  they  separate. 
There  is  no  doubt  of  their  earnestness.  Many  have 
come  from  long  distances,  and  are  obliged  to  climb 
the  city  Avail  both  coming  land  going.  Others  have 
moved  from  their  homes  in  the  country  to  places 
where  they  can  be  more  accessible  to  the  church 
and  hospital. 

And  so  the  work  goes  on  Avhile  Aveeks  lengthen 
into  months,  and  months  into  years,  and  there 
comes  a  breakdoAvn — a  warning  of  the  end  Avhich 
came  so  sadly  and  yet  so  gloriously  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  the  century.  It  may  be  that  not  many 
of  those  who  assembled  in  that  chapel  night  after 
night  have  been  actually  saved ;  that  there  have  not 
been  many  Avho  did  not  go  back  to  the  pipe,  like  the 
soAV  to  her  AvalloAving.  But  Avlien  God's  Book  of 
Bemembrance  is  opened,  it  will  be  found  recorded 
there  that  Pastor  Ling  did  AAdiat  lie  could  to  save 
these  poor,  miserable  victims  to  the  opium  habit. 

Pastor  Ling  Avas  a  true  pastor.  To  him  the 
spiritual  Avelfare  of  his  flock  was  a  matter  of  prime 
importance,  and  to  give  strict  attention  to  this 
he  sacrificed  personal  comfort,  enjoyment,  health, 
everything.     He  Avould   sit  for  hours  at  a  time, 


iLLusTuTors  Chinese  Christians.         229 

weak  and  weary  thou<»li  he  iiii<>lit  be,  entirely  for- 
getful of  duties  to  himself,  and  listen  to  some  tale 
of  wrong,  oftentimes  imaginary  or  at  least  greatly 
exaggerated,  from  the  lip®  of  some  member  of  his 
flock,  and  then  by  exhortation  and  prayer  attempt 
to  strengthen  the  faith  in  that  Christ  who  said, 
^'In  this  world  je  shall  have  tribulation,  .  .  .  but 
I  have  overcome  the  world/' 

Unlike  a  large  number  of  native  pastors  and 
preachers,  he  never  ''knocked  at  the  yamen  gate,'' 
and  his  record  Avill  go  down  as  one  entirely  free 
from  the  taint  of  any  gain  either  in  popularity  or 
church  tiuauces  by  unwarranted  tampering  with 
heathen  oflflcialdom.  Not  that  he  had  no  care  for 
the  physical  comforts  of  his  people.  He  did  not 
wrap  himself  about  with  the  mantle  of  spirituality 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  have  no  care  for  the  con- 
cerns of  earth.  His  sympathizing  ear  was  open  to 
the  story  of  trial,  trouble  and  want  from  the  lips  of 
any  one,  and  the  loving  heart  took  upon  itself  the 
weight  of  all  these  woes. 

No  one,  however  poor,  despised  and  outcast, 
but  found  in  him  a  friend,  ever  ready  to  do  what 
he  thought  was  right  to  alleviate,  comfort  and 
encourage.  His  humility  was  scarcely  less  marked 
than  his  kindness,  patience  and  forbearance.  His 
only  pattern  was  the  one  Example  of  human  in 
divine  perfection,  and  he  clung  to  the  promise 
held  out  for  His  weak  followers,  ^'When  he  shall 
appear  we  shall  be  like  him."  He  shrank  from 
publicity,  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  the  rare  beauties, 


230         iLLUSTRiotiiS  Chixksk  C'iikistiaxs. 

heavenly  radiance  and  divine  Inster  of  his  char- 
acter were  not  at  the  time  recognized  and  appre- 
ciated, and  we  are  reminded  of  Hood's  exquisite 
lines : 

"Farewell;  we  did  not  know  thy  worth; 
But  tliou  art  gone,  and  now  'tis  prized: 
Thus  angels  walked  unknown  on  earth, 
But  when  they  flew  were  recognized." 

His  life  had  its  share  of  burdens  and  trials, 
and  not  the  least  of  these  was  the  unbelief  of  his 
old  mother.  As  she  had  opposed  him  in  his  youth 
and  early  manhood,  so  this  opposition  continued 
during  her  old  age,  and  on  not  a  few  occasions  he 
was  put  in  most  trying  positions.  But  his  patience 
and  forbearance,  in  the  face  of  great  difficulties, 
in  time  bore  fruit,  and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  be- 
lieving, just  before  her  death,  that  he  should  meet 
his  old  mother  in  the  mansions  above — a  soul  saved 
by  the  grace  of  God  and  the  life  of  a  devoted  and 
godly  son. 

We  must  not  omit  to  mention  one  other  ad- 
mirable quality  in  his  character,  and  that  was  his 
hopefulness  in  regard  to  the  future  of  his  country. 
Pastor  Ling  was  a  patriot.  He  loved  hivS  country, 
and,  however  dark  the  outlook,  he  would  not  be- 
lieve that  there  was  anything  but  a  period  of  pros- 
perity and  power  in  store  for  the  land  he  loved. 
This  was  to  be  secured  by  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity and  education.  These  were  to  be  the  levers 
which  should  lift  China  from  her  low  estate  to  a 
position  of  respect  and  honor  among  the  nations  of 
%(»  earth. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         23  L 

None  felt  more  keenly  than  he  the  need  of  mental, 
moral,  social  and  economic  reform.  Intellectually 
he  was  a  self-made  man.  In  his  youth  he  had  the 
privileges  of  but  a  moderate  education,  but  on  this 
as  a  foundation,  by  the  improvement  of  every  op- 
portunity Avhich  offered,  he  built  an  intellectual 
structure  not  surpassed  by  that  of  any  of  his  asso- 
ciates. It  was  this  view  of  the  important  part 
western  education  was  to  play  in  the  molding  of 
the  new  China  w^hich  led  him  to  take  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  work  of  Foochow  College.  His 
connection  with  the  college,  other  than  as  a 
preacher  to  the  students,  had  not  been  for  long, 
and  his  daily  and  direct  teaching  of  the  Bible  was 
given  to  but  a  small  class  of  young  men.  Still, 
such  was  his  power  and  influence  for  good,  that  his 
removal  has  made  a  profound  impression  through- 
out the  institution.  The  life  of  the  college,  within 
the  spiritual  sphere,  was  elevated  by  his  presence 
in  the  student  community.  The  officers  and 
teachers  with  whom  lie  was  associated  will  long 
remember  wbat  a  deep  interest  he  always  took  in 
the  well-being  and  prosperity  of  the  college,  and 
what  a  joy  it  was  to  him  to  witness  its  growth 
year  by  year.  He  was  always  ready  to  give  his 
efforts,  time,  wise  counsels,  genuine  sympathy,  and 
friendly  encouiagement  in  aid  of  any  one  who  was 
working  in  any  way  whatever  for  the  advancement 
of  truth  and  civilization.  And  how  infinitely  val- 
uable such  help  was,  those  knew  best  w^ho  w^ere 
closely  associated  with  him  in  work. 


232        Illustrious  Chinese  CiiristiaiNs. 

Paislor  Nik-sini>  needs  uo  eulogy.  His  record  is 
on  liigli,  aud  he  will  always  live  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people  whom  he  loved  and  who  loved  him.  He 
was  highly  respected  by  the  gentry  and  literati 
of  th«  city,  and  man^^  have  been  the  expressions  of 
sorrow  and  regret  at  the  early  ending  of  a  life  so 
rich  in  good  works.  Always  cheerful,  even  under 
trying  circumstances,  his  smiling  face  has  more 
than  once  been,  to  the  writer,  God's  messenger  of 
encouragement  and  hope. 

The  last  year  of  his  career  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
remarkable,  for  it  brought  out  the  spirit  of  the 
true  man  which  was  in  him.  Tumult  and  anxiety 
and  fear  reigned  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
throughout  the  empire.  In  many  places  men  of  his 
faith  and  feeling  had  been  and  were  being  merci- 
lessly and  cruelly  beaten,  put  to  the  sword,  burned, 
and  even  sawn  asunder,  land  the  talk  all  about  him 
was  that  the  time  was  near  at  hand  when  all  of  his 
stamp  were  to  be  exterminated  root  and  branch, 
together  with  the  hated  foreign  devils,  no  matter 
in  what  pursuit  engaged.  He  sent  his  Avife  and 
little  ones  to  a  place  of  greater  safety,  but  with 
the  eyes  of  Christians  and  heathen  alike  turned 
toward  him,  he  resolved  to  stand  at  his  post  in  spite 
of  the  seemingly  approaching  storm  of  death  and 
destruction. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  limitations  arising  from 
bodily  weakness  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  pros- 
pect, he  moved  on  in  the  perfornumce  of  his  daily 
duties  with  the  same  quiet,  cheerful  and  brave 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         'S63 

spirit  which  had  characterized  his  life  for  so  many 
years.  The  storm  which  threatened,  passed  off,  but 
the  experience  of  those  few  weeks  had  done  their 
fatal  work  on  a  constitution  already  weak  and 
worn  out.  Death  came  suddenly  and  unexpectedly 
on  a  beautiful  Sabbath  morning,  but  it  was  met 
with  that  calmness  and  fortitude  which  pertain 
to  the  noblest  character.  It  found  him  at  his  post, 
doing  the  work  to  which  he  had  been  divinely 
called,  faithful  even  to  the  end  both  to  God  and 
man. 

The  college  has  lost  a  conscientious  teacher ;  the 
church,  a  most  consecrated  and  spiritual  pastor; 
the  family,  a  loving  husband  ;and  father;  society, 
a  good  man,  and  heaven  alone  has  become  the 
richer.  But  the  sense  of  our  loss  may  be  mingled 
with  a  thankful  appreciation  of  the  value  of  his 
services  and  of  the  rich  memories  of  a  godly  life 
which  he  has  left  behind  him.  The  men  of  such 
saintly  lives  in  the  successive  generations  make  up 
no  small  part  of  the  glory  of  the  Christian  church. 
They  rest  from  their  labors,  but  their  works  follow^ 
them,  and  carry  influencef^  for  good  to  many  who 
never  know  the  source  from  which  the  blessing 
descends  upon  them,  though  they  continually  re- 
joice in  the  rich  life  which  they  possess.  We  thank 
God  for  Pastor  Ling's  life  and  ministry,  with  its 
Christlike  humility  and  self-sacrifice,  and  would 
pray  that  the  seed  so  faithfully  sown,  may  spring 
up  and  bear  abundant  fruit  -'to  the  praise  of  the 
glory  of  his  grace.''  L.  P.  Peet, 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Wesleyan  Methodist  Mission  (  British  ) ,  Canton. 

It  seems  most  fitting  that  of  the  native  Chris- 
tians in  this  list  of  biograpliies,  one  of  the  oldest, 
if  not  the  oldest,  should  come  from  Canton,  which 
was  blessed  above  and  before  other  places  in  China 
with  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  Rev.  Chau 
A  Hok,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  one  of  the 
lecturers  in  the  Theological  School  of  the  Wes- 
leyan Methodist  Mission,  Canton,  a  position  he 
has  held  with  credit  and  distinction  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Chan  is  a  Cantonese.  He  was  born  in  the 
district  of  Tung  Kun  on  the  East  River,  about  the 
year  1826.  His  father  was  a  native  banker  in  the 
county  town.  He  was  a  man  much  respected  and 
was  possessed  of  considerable  wealth.  Through 
a  series  of  losses  the  family  Avas  reduced  to  pov- 
erty, but  these  misfortunes  proved  to  be  but  bless- 
ings in  disguise,  for  it  was  on  account  of  these 
things  that  the  whole  family  removed  to  Canton 
City,  into  which  Christian  teachers  had  jusit  recent- 
ly gained  an  entrance  after  many  ye^ars  of  waiting. 
It  was  not  until  long  afterwards  that  missionaries 
went  to  Tung  Kun. 

Mr.  Chau  was  one  of  six  brothers,  five  of  whom 
embraced  Christianity,  a  most  extraordinary  thing 
for  those  times.     The  father  and  mother  followed 

2Si 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.         235 

the  excellent  example  of  their  children,  and  took 
up  their  cross  in  their  old  age.  The  father  be- 
came a  catechist,  and  was  the  pioneer  of  Christian 
work  in  the  great  and  notoriously  anti-foreign  city 
of  Fatshan.  Mr.  Chau  was  originally  intended 
for  literary  pursuits,  but  these  had  to  be  aban- 
doned because  of  the  failure  of  his  father's  bus- 
iness. He  was  apprentticed  to  a  relation,  a  mer- 
chant in  Canton.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  that 
city  in  the  year  1850.  At  that  time  ther»e|  were  two 
minion  churches  in  Canton.  The  one  in  the  east 
end  was  under  the  control  of  Roberts,  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  missionary,  whose  casual  connection 
w^ith  the  man  who-  became  the  leader  of  the  Tai- 
Ping  Rebellion  and  his  own  tragic  end,  gives  his 
name  a  very  peculiar  interest  in  the  history  of 
missions  in  China.  It  was  from  this  church 
that  Hung  Sau  Ts'uen  obtained,  Avhen  in 
Canton  for  the  examinations,  those  Christian 
books  which  he  carried  to  his  home,  and,  brooding 
over  them,  evolved  those  ideas  and  discovered  those 
immense  latent  poweirs  which  were  destined  to  ex- 
ercise such  a  mighty  influence  on  China,  and  which 
all  but  swept  awiay  the  present  dynasty.  The  na- 
tive preacher  at  this  church  was  Yeung  Hing.  He 
was  a  native  of  Heung  Shan.  His  knowledge  of 
Christianity  was  very  meager,  and  when  he  did 
preach,  it  was  very  much  after  the  style  of  the 
Siacred  Edict  preachers,  telling  stories  and  urging 
the  people  to  be  good  and  filial,  and  countless 
blessings  would  be  their  portion.     He  had  a  pro- 


236         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

found  rtiverence  for  Chinese  characters,  and  it  Avas 
no  uncommon  tlimg  to  see  him  i»oiu<j;  along  the 
road  pickini;  up  scraps  of  written  paper. 

The  other  church  was  in  the  west  end  of  Canton, 
at  the  hospital  of  the  London  ^Missionar^^  Hociet}', 
of  which  Dr.  Hobson  was  in  charge.  It  was  not 
,yet  the  days  of  colporteurs.  There  Avas  only  one 
man  who  occasionally  did  colporteur  work.  His 
name  was  Lo.  He  Avas  the  gatekeeper  at  the  hos- 
pital. When  it  Avas  a  non-patient  day,  he  used  to 
go  round  the  city  distributing  Christian  literature. 
Home  qf  these  tilacts  fell  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Chan,  and  the  truth  immediately  appealed  to  him. 
It  came  to  him  with  a  strange  poAver,  Avarming  and 
(IraAving  out  his  heart  in  a  way  the  Chinese  classics 
had  ncA^er  done.  The  tract  that  affected  him  most 
was  the  Avell-knoAvn  ^'Taao  Friends/'  a  tract  that 
has  proA^ed  a  blessing  to  so  many.  Tracts  dealing 
Avith  the  folly  of  idolatry  found  a.  ready  response 
in  his  mind.  Without  any  struggle  he  accepted 
their  principles,  and  the  only  satisfactory  explana- 
tion must  be  that  (Jood  Spirit  ^'that  lighteneth 
every  man  that  tometh  into  the  world,''  for  the 
heathen  are  not  left  entirely  Avitliout  AA'itness. 

The  edition  of  Holy  Scripture  theii  in  circula- 
tion Avas  very  imperfect,  and  difftcult  for  the  reader 
to  understand.  It  was  perhaps  well,  and  a  thing 
for  Avhich  we  ought  to  feel  grateful,  that  the  people 
were  so  uuAvilling  to  receiA^e  copies,  even  Avhen  they 
could  be  had  Avithout  payment. 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        237 
HIS  conversion. 

Mr.  Cliau's  removal  to  Canton,  and  especially 
his  residence  in  the  shop  of  a  relation,  proved  to  be 
the  turningxjoint  in  his  life.  Dr.  Hobson's  gate- 
keeper and  occasional  colporteur,  Lo,  had  a  friend 
in  the  shop  where  Mr.  Chan  was  living.  It  was 
through  this  man  that  he  was  led  first  of  all  to 
attend  the  Sunday  services  at  the  hospital  church. 
He  has  a  very  vivid  recollection  of  the  illustrious 
medical  missionary  and  his  lady.  He  remembers 
with  feelings  of  the  deepest  gratitude,  to  this  day, 
how  they  welcomed  him.  Those  sei  vices  were  very 
select,  indeed,  for,  in  addition  to  those  employed 
at  the  hospital,  there  Avere  only  two  or  three  out- 
siders. It  was  fortunate  for  Chan  that  he  was  in 
the  house  of  a  relation,  for  no  ordinary  apprentice 
would  have  been  allowed  to  frequent  a  place  of  so 
doubtful  reputation  as  a  mission  church. 

The  London  Mission  preacher  was  Mr.  Leung  A 
Pat.  He  had  come  from  Malacca  when  the  Anglo- 
Chinese  College  moved  to  Hongkong.  His  exile 
was  not  a  voluntary  one.  Some  years  previous  the 
mandarinsi  had  sought  his  life  because  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  Christian  church.  Chau  went 
regularly  to  the  services  at  the  hospital.  Like 
Lydia,  his  heart  gently  opened  to  the  truth,  and  in 
it  the  Holy  Spirit  wrought  conviction  of  sin  and 
the  necessity  of  a  Siaviour.  In  the  course  of  a  year 
he  decided  to  ask  for  baptism  and  admission  to 
the  Christian  church.    Leung  A  Fat  baptized  him, 


238        Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

and  thus  he  forms  a  link  between  to-day  and  those 
early  and  heroic  times  of  missionary  enterprise  in 
China.  The  year  folloAving  his  baptism,  his  whole 
family — father,  mother  and  brothers — came  to  set- 
tle in  Canton.  He  rejoined  them  and  continued 
with  them  till  his  twenty-eighth  year  of  age. 

Mr.  Chan's  first  direct  contact  with  mission  work 
was  in  his  twenty-ninth  year.  Dr.  Hobson  wished 
to  translate  a  book  on  physiology  into  Chinese. 
Chan  was  employed  to  trace  the  diagrams.  The 
care  and  excellence  with  which  he  did  this  work 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  doctor,  who  saw  in 
this  man  the  promise  of  future  usefulness,  a  prom- 
ise which  has  been  amply  fulfilled.  Happy  is  the 
man  to  Avhom  God  gives  this  insight  and  power  of 
discerning  men,  and  the  grace  and  wisdom  to  lead 
them  out  into  the  service  of  the  church.  From  tliat 
time  Chan  was  engaged  as  an  assistant  evangelist 
at  the  hospital  and  to  help  Leung  A  Fat.  This 
wise  choice  has  already  influenced  vast  numbers 
for  good.  The  Sunday  services  mu^t  have  been 
longer  then,  for  Chan  .always  preached  after 
Leung  A  Fat. 

Those  meetings  at  the  London  ^lission  Hospital 
church  were  truly  catholic.  Many  of  the  mission- 
aries had  no  Avork  or  churches  of  their  own.  They 
were  glad  to  gather  at  this  place,  which  was  a  kind 
of  missionary  training-ground.  Among  the  recently 
arrived  missionaries  Avas  a  young  man  called 
George  Piercy,  wliO'  had  come  out  at  his  own  ex- 
pense.    The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  had  not 


Illustrious  Chinp:se  Christl\ns.         239 

sent  him.  The  claims  of  India  and  other  land® 
left  no  place  for  China,  but  God  was  working,  and 
in  his  own  good  time,  both  in  South  China  and  in 
the  Yang  Tsze  valley,  the  ^Methodist  Church  would 
yet  discharge  some  of  its  duties  and  obligations  to 
God  and  the  Chinese.  In  this  Chau  has  taken  a 
large  part. 

COUNTRY    EVANGELIZATION. 

It  was  a  great  achievement  to  get  into  Canton 
City,  but  the  missionaries'  longed  with  a  Christlik(^ 
compassion  for  the  millions  that  lay  beyond.  Fre- 
quent excursions  were  made  to  the  many  villages 
and  towns  in  the  neighborhood  of  Canton.  The 
general  behavior  of  the  people  was  very  rude  and 
often  hostile.  Their  minds  were  opposed  to  the  en- 
trance of  strangers  bringing  with  them  what  they 
regarded  as  pernicious  and  harmful  heresies. 
Large,  fine  copies  of  the  New  Testament  werje 
freely  distributed,  but  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  those  who  received  them  to  tear  them  up  or 
burn  them.  The  following  account  well  illustrates 
the  difiaculties  and  dangers  of  country  traveling  in 
the  early  ^'fifties.-' 

Two  Wesleyan  Methodist  missionaries,  Messrs. 
Cox  and  Beach,  accompanied  by  Chau  and  Lo, 
from  the  hospital,  had  made  a  book-selling  journey 
to  Shek  Lung,  a  city  on  the  East  River.  Knowing 
the  intense  curiosity  of  the  people  as  well  as  their 
animosity,  on  their  arrival  they  anchored  their 
boat  just  a  little  outside  the  town.     They  had  not 


240         Illustrious  Chinese  Cuiustjans. 

been  loug  iu  this  position  when  a  messenger  from 
the  yamen  came,  urging'  that  the  boat  be  moved 
nearer  to  the  town,  as  much  safer  and  less  likely  to 
be  attacked  by  pirates.  Never  suspecting  treach- 
ery, for  the  request  was  both  reasonable  and  polite, 
orders  were  given  to  the  boatmen  to  do  as  re- 
quested. Nothing  immediately  occurred  to  dis- 
turb their  peace  till  about  8  p.  m.,  when  they  were 
roused  from  their  false  security  by  the  beating  of 
gongs.  Soon  after,  two  mandarins,  one  a  civil  and 
the  other  a  military  mandarin,  with  a  large  number 
of  soldiers  and  yamen  runners,  appeared  (m  the 
scene.  It  was  a  striking  sight,  for  they  carried 
torches  and  spears,  the  latter  gleaming  in  the  light 
of  the  torches.  The  civil  mandarin,  with  a  band  of 
his  men,  went  on  board  of  the  boat  of  the  mission- 
aries. He  seized  Chan  and  Lo  by  the  queues,  and 
proceeded  to  drag  them  after  him.  He  did  not  let 
go  until  he  got  them  on  shore.  The  followers  of 
the  mandarins  made  a  circle  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  with  the  mandarins  in  the  middle.  Into  this 
circle  Chau  and  Lo  were  conducted,  and  ordered 
to  kneel  in  front  of  the  two  officials.  When  all 
was  ready  the  examination  began.  Notes  were 
taken  of  all  the  answers.  In  wrathful  tones  the 
(luestion  was  asked,  ''What  was  your  object  in 
bringing  these  barbarians  to  this  cit}^?"  A  thor- 
ough search  of  the  boat  only  brought  to  light  copies 
of  the  New  Testament  and  tracts.  This  w^ias  rather 
disappointing,  as  tliey  evidently  expected  to  find 
arms  and  ammunition.    On  the  books  were  stamped 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        241 

in  Chinese  characters  "Benevolent  Hospital," 
as  the  London  Mission  Hospital  was  called.  This 
confirmed  what  had  been  said  in  the  examination. 
Lo  at  first  would  not  kneel,  which  had  the  effect  of 
rcmsing  the  ire  of  his  accusers.  Cox  saw  tliis,  and 
i>ave  Lo  the  hint  to  conform  to  the  customs  of  his 
country.  Chan,  true  to  his  peace-loviug  nature, 
Ijad  already  done  the  kow-tow.  The  civil  man- 
darin, addressing  Chan,  perhaps  because  he  came 
from  that  country,  said,  "We  shall  hold  you  re- 
sponsible for  anything  that  happens." 

Cox  stood  with  Chan  and  Beach  with  Lo.  The 
latter  missionary  had  only  been  in  China  a  short 
time,  and  was  not  able  to  say  much.  Cox  stood  up 
and  declared  that  both  the  Chinese  who  had  come 
with  them  were  true  men.  The  responsibility  of 
being  there  lay  wholly  with  the  foreigners,  for  the 
Chinese  had  merely  accompanied  them.  This  bold 
speech  had  a  good  effect.  From  that  time  the  man- 
darins seemed  puzzled  as  to  what  course  to  pursue. 
xA.fter  a  good  deal  of  private  consultation,  the  mili- 
tary mandarin,  addressing  Chan  and  Lo,  said, 
"You  must  go  to  the  district  city  and  find  some  one 
who  will  stand  surety  for  you.  If  you  can  find 
some  one  of  reputation  to  do  this,  then  you  will  be 
set  at  liberty."  Cox  again  broke  in,  objecting  most 
strongly  to  the  men  being  taken  away.  "If  you  do 
take  them,"  said  he,  "then  we  shall  go  with  them." 
This  firmness  evidently  staggered  the  mandarins 
in  their  resolution,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  said, 
"Get  off  to  your  boat  and  leave  here  by  to-morrow 


242         Ii:.LUSTiuous  Chinese  Christians. 

moruiiig  at  dajliglit."  The  jamen  runners  called 
out,  ''^heir  excellencies  have  shown  you  great 
mercy;  kow-tow,  kow-tow."  All  night  long  a  small 
mandarin,  with  a  company  of  soldiers,  kept  a  strict 
watch  over  the  missionaries'  boat.  It  was  scarcely 
daybreak  when  they  called  on  them  to  go,  which 
they  were  not  sorry  to  do. 

YEARS  OP  SOWING  AND  TRIAL. 

The  ten  years  between  1850  and  1860  must  have 
been  particularly  trying  to  the  missionaries.  The 
internal  troubles  of  the  country,  which  carried  des- 
olation and  death  far  and  wide  throughout  the 
land,  Were  scarcely  finished  when  the  second  Chi- 
nese w^ar  broke  out.  During  these  years  there  were 
only  a  few  baptisms.  Viewed  at  this  distance  of 
time,  one  can  not  help  feeling  that  the  mission  work 
of  that  period  must  have  made  a  special  drain  on 
the  faith  of  the  missionaries.  Those  men  certainly 
labored,  and  we,  of  later  years,  have  entered  into 
their  labors.  We  are  reaping  what  they  sowed  in 
tears,  and  those  of  them  who  have  gone  to  their  re- 
ward may  in  some  way  unknown  to  us  be  able  to 
trace  much  of  the  comparative  success  of  to-day  to 
those  years  of  sowing. 

The  acceptance  of  Christianity  w^as  regarded  as 
contrary  to  the  law  of  the  land.  It  was  not  till 
the  second  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  that  the  Tol- 
eration Clause  was  introduced.  Foreigners  were 
hated  and  distrusted,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that 
even  the  benevolent  side  of  the  work  did  not  es- 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        243 

cape  the  same  kind  of  unfair  criticism  that  was 
applied  to  the  aggressive  side  of  the  work.  The 
one  boys'  school,  bel(moinj>-  to  the  American  Pres- 
byterian Mission,  was  looked  upon  as  a  means  to 
get  hold  of  the  boys,  jnst  as  at  a  later  time,  when 
girls'  schools  were  first  opened,  it  was  firmly  be- 
lieved that  th(*  object  of  the  foreigners  was  to  get 
the  girls  together  and  then  forward  them  to  Hong- 
kong for  immoral  purposes.  It  could  not  be  de- 
nied that  in  the  hospital  men  were  healed  and  sick- 
ness relieved,  but  all  this  was  only  part  of  the  gen- 
eral scheme  to  win  over  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
The  strongly  rooted  idea  that  the  foreigners  had 
designs  on  the  land,  added  another  element  of  bit- 
terness to  those  already  .existing.  Consequently, 
the  people  were  very  averse  to  mission  work,  the 
object  of  which  was  entirely  misunderstood.  The 
missionaries  were  frequently,  quite  innocently  on 
their  part,  involved  in  the  action  of  their  country- 
men who  were  provoked  by  the  treachery  and  inso- 
lence of  the  Chinese  to  acts  of  reprisal.  ♦ 

The  kingdom  of  peace  and  righteousness,  which 
the  missionaries  preached,  was  emphatically  ''a 
kingdom  to  come,''  and  there  were  no  signs  of  its 
coming,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  the  reign  of  the 
kingdom  of  darkness.  The  consummation  of  it  all 
was  the  second  Chinese  war,  which  broke  up  the 
little  that  had  been  accomplished,  and  the  mi^ision- 
aries  were  compelled  to  seek  refuge  in  ^lacao.  For 
nearly  three  years  they  were  shut  up  in  Macao. 
The  missionaries  stuck  to  their  posts  till  the  last. 


244         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

Dr.  Hobson  did  not  go  on  board  till  the  shots  Avere 
beginning  to  hiss  over  the  city.  \Mth  the  closing 
of  the  hospital,  Mr.  Chau  returned  to  his  native 
place,  and  this  ended  his  connection  with  the  Lon- 
don ^lission.  After  a  short  visit  to  his  people, 
he  went  to  Macao  on  the  invitation  of  the  Rev. 
George  Piercy,  as  a  tc^aclier  and  preacher,  and  ever 
since  has  been  connected  witli  the  AVesleyan  Meth 
odist  Mission. 

RETURNS  TO  CANTON. 

After  the  capture  of  Canton  by  the  allies,  Chau 
returned  to  Canton  with  Mr.  Piercy.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  missions 
in  China.  A  great  change  liacl  come  over  the  dis- 
position of  the  people.  Many  came  to  make  in- 
quiries as  to  the  nature  and  teachings  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  purchase  of  land  was  then  perhaps 
easier  than  it  has  been  at  any  otlier  period  since. 
To  Mr.  Piercy  belongs  the  honor  of  having  done 
more  thail  any  other  man  to  found  schools  for  girls, 
both  boarding  and  day  schools.  In  all  this,  Chau 
took  a  prominent  part. 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  very  valuable  serv- 
ices Chau  rendered  to  the  AA'esleyan  Mission  dur- 
ing the  last  forty-five  years.  The  greatest  part  of 
liis  ministry  lias  been  given  to  educational  work, 
and  for  the  hist  twenty  years  his  special  depart- 
ment has  been  the  training  of  catechists.  At  the 
age  of  seventy-five  he  is  still  hale  and  hearty.  He 
is  doing  full  and  efficient  service.    He  has  produced 


Illustrious  Chinese  Christians.        245 

no  original  work,  but  in  most  of  the  literary  work 
done  by  the  Weslejan  missionaries,  he  has  had  an 
honorable  share. 

RETROSPECT  AND  PROSPECT. 

Summing  up,  ^Ir.  Chan  says:  ''It  is  more  than 
fifty  years  since  I  became  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church.  In  the  intervening  years  I  have  seen 
immense  changes,  and  these,  on  the  whole,  have 
been  for  good.  x\t  that  time  there  were  not  more 
than  half  a  dozen  Christians  in  Canton.  The  yearly 
additions  did  not  amount  to  more  than  one  or  two. 
The  new  era  began  with  the  declaration  of  peace 
at  the  end  of  the  second  wiar,  and,  almost  without 
exception,  every  year  since  that  time  has  seen  an 
ever-increasing  ratio  of  increase.  To-day  the  mis- 
sions working  from  Canton  as  a  center,  count  over 
ten  thousand  members. 

"AVhen  I  made  my  first  acquaintance  w  ith  Canton 
there  were  only  two  mission  churches.  Now,  in- 
cluding rented  buildings  as  well  as  those  built, 
there  are  several  hundreds.  Then  there  was  only 
one  boys'  school,  where,  as  an  inducement  to  at- 
tend, presents  of  money  and  clothes  were  given. 
Now,  boys'  schools  exist  throughout  the  province, 
in  town  and  country,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to 
have  recourse  to  such  doubtful  expedients  to  fill 
them.  If  it  was  difficult  to  get  boys  to  attend 
Christian  schools  then,  it  was  infinitely  more  diffi- 
cult to  get  girls.  To-day,  the  only  limit  is  the 
money  at  the  disposal  of  the  missionaries  for  this 


246  iLLUSTUlOUiS    Cillx\E«E   CHKlSTlAAfci. 

kind  of  >\  ork.  JSecoud  to  none  in  importance  has 
been  tiie  opeuiug  of  i»irls'  l)oar(liu^i>-scliools  and 
training-schools  for  catecliists.  The  intlucnce  of 
these  things  has  already  been  felt,  and  will  be  more 
and  more  as  time  goes  by/' 

'^\nother  thing/'  Chan  says,  ''I  would  like  to 
point  out,  is  the  remarkable  change  in  the  dispo- 
sition of  the  people.  AMien  1  was  a  young  nmn, 
the  prevailing  feeling  was  that  the  object  of  the  for- 
eign propaganda  was  political,  »and  that  Christian- 
ity Avas  a  system  of  erroneous  doctrines,  which 
taught  men  to  forget  and  neglect  their  parents.  It 
also  forbade  the  worship  of  ancestors  and  spirits. 
The  n)ost  damaging  of  all,  however,  were  the  stories 
which  represented  the  Christians  as  living  in  pro- 
miscuous intercourse.  Some  of  the  things  that 
were  said  were  stupid  tand  absurd,  but  that  did 
not  in  any  way  affect  the  ready  credence  that  was 
given  to  all  and  ever}^  report  about  foreigners. 
A  peculiar  kind  of  pill  was  in  use  among  the 
Christians,  which  whoever  swalloAved  forthwith  all 
sense  of  shame  forgot. 

''The  native  Christians  suffered  much  at  the 
hands  of  their  countrymen.  They  were  looked 
upon  as  traitors,  men  who  had  denied  the  faith  of 
their  fathers,  and  given  themselves  to  work  out  tJie 
Avicked  designs  of  the  barbarians  from  across  the 
seas.  People  refused  to  give  them  their  daughters 
in  marriage.  True,  there  are  still  some  who  hold 
these  ideas,  but  the  great  majority  have  seen 
through  their  foll}^     There  is  still  a  tendenc3^  to 


Illustrious  Chinese  Chkistians.         247 

despise  Christians,  but  it  is  small  and  unimportant 
compared  with  the  eaily  (hijs. 

"In  recent  years  the  better  clas*^  of  the  Chinese 
have  shown  a  friendly  disposition,  and  some  of 
them  reguhirly  visit  tlie  missiomaries;  also  an 
ever-increasini»  number  of  the  j>entry  and  literary 
classes  liave  sought  to  be  admitted  to  the  Christian 
church.  The  enemies  of  God's  church  in  China 
have  from  time  to  time  idanned  its  destruction  by 
diligently  spreading  false  reports  of  a  nature  cal- 
culated to  rouse  the  intensest  hatred  and  strongest 
passions  of  the  people.  Such  Avere  the  troubles 
that  arose  from  the  shan-sin-fan  (Genii  Powder) 
rumors.  It  was  alleged  that  the  Christians  se- 
cretly dropped  these  powders  into  the  Avella  The 
effect  of  drinking  the  water  into  which  these  pow- 
ders had  been  thrown  Avas  death  in  about  a  month. 
The  form  of  this  report  Avas  most  insidious,  and  for 
wrecks  the  people  Avere  kept  in  the  wildest  excite- 
ment. Strange  to  say,  not  one  Christian  lost  his 
life,  although  several  of  the  heathen  did. 

^'The  people  had  good  reason  to  remember  the 
Tai-Ping  Rebellion,  and  so  had  the  mandarins. 
It  Avas  a  most  unfortunate  circumstance  that  the 
rebels  called  themselves  the  'Sheung  Tai  Oof.' 
It  is  only  necessary  to  tell  the  reader  Avho  does  not 
know  Chinese  that  practically  the  same  term  was 
used  by  some  of  the  missionaries,  when  speaking 
of  the  Christian  church. 

"Thrice  has  Avar  been  Avaged  in  my  time  by  Great 
Britain,  France  and  Japan.     On  all  these  occa- 


248         Illustrious  Chinese  Christians. 

sions  the  native  Christians  have  been  reg^arded  as 
the  prime  movers  and  the  cause  of  these  invasions. 
Thej  were  supposed  to  be  in  league  with  the  for- 
eigners in  their  dark  designs.  These  things  were 
made  the  plea  for  the  destruction  of  the  Christian 
church.  Humanly  speaking,  the  very  existence  of 
the  church  was  again  ^nd  again  threatened.  ^If 
it  had  not  been  the  Lord  who  Avas  on  our  side, 
when  men  rose  up  against  us,  then  they  had  swal- 
lowed us  quick,  when  their  wrath  was  kindled 
against  us.  Our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird  out  of 
the  snare  of  the  fowlers;  the  snare  is  broken  and 
we  are  escaped.^  Each  succeeding  trouble  has  been 
made  to  subserve  God's  purpose,  and  his  glory  has 
been  thereby  more  fully  revealed  in  the  sight  of  the 
heathen." 

Looking  back  over  these  last  fifty  years,  and  con- 
sidering the  terrible  opposition  which  Christianity 
has  had  to  meet,  and  Avhich  it  has  driven  l)ack,  even 
if  it  has  not  yet  completely  conquered,  Chau  says : 
"I  have  the  firmest  conviction  that  Christianity 
must  conquer  in  the  end.  I  feel  that  nothing  can 
happen  in  the  future  which  will  successfully  inter- 
fere with  the  progress  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
for  ^he  must  reign.'  Thanks  be  to  God  for  his  un- 
speakable gift.  I  believe  the  day  is  hastening  when 
all  my  countrymen  shall  bow  at  the  feet  and  at  the 
name  of  Jesus,  which  day  may  God  hasten  in  his 
own  good  time."  Wm.  Bridie. 


^iife^i?imill'm.'°?''^^'  Seminary  Libraries 


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